WIUBUR    FISK- 


HISTORY 


OF   THE 


WESLEYAN  ACADEMY, 


AT  WILBRAHAM,  MASS. 


1817*1890. 


BY  THE  REV.  DAVID  SHERMAN,  D.D. 


"  For  the  property  of  truth  is,  where  she  is  publicly  taught,  to  unyoke  and  set 
free  the  minds  and  spirits  of  a  nation." — Milton. 


BOSTON : 

THE  MCDONALD  &  GILL  COMPANY,  36  BROMFIELD  STREET. 
1893. 


Copyright  1893  by  THE  MCDONALD  &  GILL  COMPANY. 


PREFACE. 


To  persons  of  intelligence  and  breadth  of  view,  the 
record  of  a  literary  institution  is  not  less  interesting 
than  that  of  a  city  or  State.  Such  an  institution  is 
something  more  than  a  corporation  for  the  accumula- 
tion of  wealth.  It  deals  with  mind,  in  its  formative 
period.  It  is  a  gymnasium  for  the  harmonious  unfold- 
ing of  the  intellectual  faculties,  and  the  more  perfect 
discipline  of  thought.  The  training  thus  secured 
becomes  an  admirable  furnishing  for  the  duties  of  prac- 
tical life.  Education  is  wealth  invested  "  where  moth 
and  rust  do  not  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break 
through  and  steal." 

Among  institutions  of  this  kind,  the  Wesleyan 
Academy  at  Wilbraham  holds  a  conspicuous  and  hon- 
ored place.  The  amount  of  work  performed  is  very 
large,  and  the  quality  is  of  a  high  order.  The  design 
has  been  to  furnish  the  whole  man.  With  careful 
regard  to  intellectual  drill,  constant  attention  has  beei^ 
given  to  the  moral  and  spiritual  needs  of  the  young. 
Many  students  have  there  received  the  inspiration  and 
spiritual  uplift,  so  important  in  working  out  the  practi- 
cal problems  of  life.  It  has  been  deemed  important  to 
turn  out  good  men  and  women  as  well  as  good  stu- 
dents ;  and,  so  fully  has  this  purpose  been  realized,  that 
few  institutions  have  furnished  pupils  better  fitted 'to 
grapple  with  the  affairs  of  the  world. 

At  the  Se mi-Centennial  Celebration,  the  trustees 
thought  it  desirable  to  publish  a  history  of  the  institu- 


iv  PREFACE. 

tion.  The  work  was  then  committed  to  the  present 
writer.  For  some  three  or  four  years  little  was  done 
save  to  look  up,  at  leisure,  the  sources  of  information. 
After  Dr.  Steele  became  principal,  the  material  was 
digested  and  the  work  fully  written  out.  Though  the 
publication  had  been  ordered,  Dr.  Crowell  desired  a 
delay  in  order  to  secure  some  additional  facts,  especial- 
ly a  larger  number  of  the  names  of  students.  To  forward 
this  design,  he  employed  Rev.  Charles  M.  Hall  to 
arrange  all  the  names  found  in  the  catalogues  with 
date  of  entrance  and  place  of  residence.  Meantime,  Dr. 
Crowell,  the  committee  on  publication,  died,  and  the 
matter  remained  in  abeyance  until  a  year  ago,  when  the 
manuscript  was  submitted  to  the  trustees  for  examin- 
ation. Their  committee  thought  the  book  too  large 
for  general  sale,  and  suggested  certain  chapters  which 
might  be  omitted.  On  examination,  it  was  found 
these  omissions  would  leave  the  work  disproportioned 
and  its  parts  disconnected.  To  remedy  the  evil,  the 
entire  history  was  recast,  during  the  month  of  December, 
1891,  and  the  size  was  reduced  one  half.  Besides  the 
exclusion  of  several  entire  chapters,  the  main  thread 
of  the  narrative  was  lessened  by  the  abbreviation  of  all 
the  biographical  sketches  as  well  as  by  the  reduction  of 
the  general  historical  matter  of  the  volume.  Under 
these  limitations,  the  publication  of  the  16,000  names 
of  students  became  entirely  impracticable.  In  place 
of  that  grand  roll,  we  have  to  be  satisfied  with  the  large 
number  of  names  incidentally  or  directly  mentioned 
in  the  course  of  the  narrative. 

As  to  the  illustrations,  the  design  was  at  first  to  give 
only  views  of  the  buildings  and    grounds.     The  plan 


PREFACE.  V 

was  enlarged  to  embrace  trustees,  principals,  teachers, 
benefactors  and  students.  Of  the  likenesses  of  the 
men  and  women  of  earlier  time  not  many  could  be 
obtained.  We  are  fortunate  in  having  some  of  the 
more  important.  The  principals  are  all  here  save 
Bangs  and  Foster.  The  difficulty  was  to  know  where 
to  stop.  The  illustrations  given  are  worthy  to  find 
place  ;  other  names  are  equally  worthy.  Want  of  space 
must  be  pleaded  as  our  excuse  for  their  omission. 

To  those  interested  in  the  work  of  education,  this 
volume  will  prove  valuable,  as  containing  the  record 
of  early  struggles  in  building  a  literary  institution. 
The  founding  was  a  work  of  faith.  The  preachers  of 
the  New  England  Conference^  made  a  great  venture. 
Like  the  patriarch,  they  marched  into  a  strange  land 
they  were  to  possess  only  after  many  days  of  toil  and 
trial.  The  history  shows  the  ultimate  realization  of 
their  highest  expectations. 

As  the  first  successful  experiment  of  the  Methodists  in 
American  education,  the  enterprise  has  an  interest 
for  all  the  disciples  of  Wesley.  At  Wilbraham,  after 
many  defeats  and  hindrances,  the  leaders  made  a  stand 
and  turned  the  tide  of  battle  in  favor  of  higher  education 
by  the  church.  From  the  day  Fisk  planted  his  foot  on 
the  soil,  the  work  prospered  and  progressed.  A  new 
spirit  entered  the  denomination,  and  Christian  schools 
began  to  spring  up,  under  Methodist  auspices,  in  every 
part  of  the  land.  Let  none  of  the  later  schools  forget 
how  much  they  owe  to  this  earliest  and  honored 
institution. 

D.  SHERMAN, 

Brookline,  Dec.  15,  1892. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


I.     PERIOD  OF  FOUNDING. 
CHAPTER  I.  —  Introductory. 

PAGE. 

Wesley's  Estimate  of  Education 1 

Education  in  New  England 3 

The  Methodists  in  New  England 4 

The  Methodists  Engage  in  the  Work  of  Education     .  5 

CHAPTER  II.  —  The  Beginnings  at  South  Neivmarket. 

The  Wesleyan  Academy  Founded  by  the  Preachers  in  the 

New  England  Conference      8 

1816.  —  The  Newmarket  Preachers' Meeting       9 

1817. — The  Conference  Adopts  the  Academy     12 

Sept.  1  — The  Building  Completed      13 

The  Opening  of  the  Term 14 

The  First  Contributors      16 

CHAPTER  III.  —  Incorporation  of  the   Wesleyan  Academy. 

1818. 

June  4. — The  Act  by  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature    ....  18 

The  Code  of  By-Laws  Adopted      20 

Plan  of  Education  for  the  Academy 23 

CHAPTER  IV.  —  The  Administration  of  Martin  Huter, 
1818  — 1820. 

July  10. —  Ruter's  Election  as  Principal 26 

Biographical  Incidents  of  his  Life 27 


viii  CONTENTS. 

Kuter's  Plans  for  the  Academy 28 

The  Kingston  Branch  Academy 29 

Moral  and  Religious  Training 31 

1820.  —  Ruter's  Election  to  the  Book  Agency 33 

Resigns  the  Principalship 

CHAPTER  V.  —  The  Administration  of  Moses    Whit#. 

Election  of  Moses  White  as  Principal 35 

The  Financial  Embarrassments  of  the  School  .   .    .   .36 

1823.  —  The  Vote  of  the  Trustees  to  Close 37 

Dec.  30. —  The  Causes  which  led  to  the  Failure 39 

Was  a  Success  even  in  the  Failure 41 


CHAPTER,  VI. — Personnel  of  the  Newmarket  Academy, 

Rev.  John  Brodhead,  a  Trustee 42 

Col.  Amos  Binney,  a  Trustee 45 

Rev.  D.  Fillmore,  a  Trustee 47 

Mr.  John  Clark,  of  Boston 48 

Moses  White,  the  last  Principal 48 

CHAPTER   VII.  —  Students  at  Newmarket. 

Those  Who  Became  Preachers 52 

Those  Devoted  to  Secular  Affairs 54 


IT.     THE  PERIOD  REMOVAL.     1825-1848. 

1.    .THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  WILBUR  FISK,  A.M.— 

1825-1830. 

CHAPTER   VIII.  —  The    Location   of  the    Wesleyan   Acad- 
emy at  Wilbraham. 

The  Removal  was  Informal      61 

Attention  Drawn  to  Wilbraham 62 

1823.  —  The  Meeting  of  the  Trustees  in  Boston 64 

Dec.  —  Considerations  in  Favor  of  Locating  at  Wilbraham    .  68 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER  IX.  —  The  Incorporation  of  the  New   Board  of 

Trustees. 

1824.  —  The  Act  of  Incorporation 71 

Feb.  7.  —  The  Control  Placed  Entirely  in  the  Board      73 

Feb.  19.— The  Meeting  of  the  New  Board 74 

The  Plan  of  Education  for  the  Academy 75 

The  Approval  of  the  New  England  Conference     ...    78 
The  Names  of  the  Original  Contributors 79 

CHAPTER  X.  —  The  Erection  of  the  Old  Academy  Edifice. 

1825.  —  The  Trustees  Determine  to  Build 81 

Jan.  5. — Rev.  Joseph  A.  Merrill  Elected  a  Trustee 82 

The  Site  of  the  Academy  Selected     . 83 

The  Erection  of  the  First  Building 85 

CHAPTER  XI.  —  Opening  of  the  Academy. 

Nov.  8.  —  The  Dedicatory  Service  with  Address  of  Wilbur  Fisk    88 
The  Plan  of  Academic  Work  Outlined 92 

CHAPTER  XII.  —  The  First  Term   Under  Nathaniel  Dunn- 

Biographical  Notice  of  Mr.  Dunn 96 

Dec.  5.  —  The  First  Regular  Term  Opened  with  a  Class  of  Seven    97 

CHAPTER  XIII.  —  Organization   Under  Wilbur  Fisk. 

1826.  — Annual  Meeting  of  the  Trustees     . 101 

June  5.  —  New  Trustees  and  Preceptress  Chosen 102 

Qualifications  of  Fisk  as  a  Manager  and  a  Disciplin- 
arian—  The  Whipping  Case      106 

CHAPTER  XIV.  —  The  Erection  of  the  Boarding  House. 

Boarding  Among  the  Citizens Ill 

Preparations  for  a  Boarding  House 114 

The  Purchase  of  the  Hotel  Property 114 

The  Cost  of  Improvements  on  it 117 

Selection  of  the  First  Steward 118 

The  Religious  Interest  in  the  School 120 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XV.  —  Fisk's  Second   Year  at  the  Academy. 

1827.  —  Favorable  Condition  of  the  Treasury 122 

May  15. —  Zion's  Herald  Transferred  to  the  Trustees 122 

Additional  Teachers  Secured 125 

Solomon  Weeks  Succeeds  Eb.  Thompson  as  Steward    128 
Dr.  Fisk's  Theological  Class 129 


CHAPTER  XVI.  —  Prosperity  of  the  Academy   During  the 
Year  1828. 

1828.  —  The  Great  Revival  of  the  Year 131 

The  Erection  of  the  Principal's  House 135 

Col.  Binney  Donates  Cambridge  Property 136 

Experiments  in  Agriculture 136 

CHAPTER  XVII.  —  The  Flood-Tide   at  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy in  1829. 

1829.  —  The  Condition  of  the  Finances  .   .    . 140 

The  Laboratory  Building  Erected 143 

A  Mercantile  Venture 144 

The  Resignation  of  Nathaniel  Dunn 146 

CHAPTER  XVIII. —  The  Original  Trustees  at   Wilbraham. 

The  Hon.  Abel  Bliss 150 

Abraham  Avery 154 

CHAPTER  XIX. —  The  Original  Trustees,   Continued. 

Calvin  Brewer 158 

Joshua  Crowell 161 

William  Rice,  Sen ,   .  163 

CHAPTER    XX.  —  Students    Under   Wilbur  Fisk. 

Those  Who  Became  Preachers 170 

Those  Who  Entered  Secular  Callings 175 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  XXI.  —  The  Close  of  Fisk's  Term. 

1830. — Fisk    Elected    President    of    Wesleyan  University — 

Aug.24.—  Nominally  Principal  tillJuly,  1831 180 

His  Closing  Words  to  the  School 182 

The  Results  of  his  Labors  in  it 183 

Dr.  Fisk's  Later  Services 184 

2.      THE    ADMINISTRATION   OF    WILLIAM    McK.  BANGS. 

CHAPTER  XXII. —  The  Beginning  of  the  End. 

1831.  — William  McK.  Bangs 191 

Aug.  17.  —  Edward  Othe man,  as  Teacher 194 

Samuel  P.  Dole,  as  a  Teacher 195 

Death  of  Edward  Hyde     197 


3.     THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  JOHN  FOSTER,  A.M. 

1832—1834. 

CHAPTER    XXIII.  —  Services   and   Associates  of  John 
Foster. 

1832.  —  Foster  Elected  Principal  at  the  Academy 201 

May  30. —  His  Associates  in  the  Board  of  Instruction 203 

1834.  —  The  Resignation  of  Mr.  Foster  and  the  Causes     ...  206 

Aug. — The  Debating  Club  and  its  Members 207 

The  Ladies  of  the  Period 209 

4.     THE    ADMINISTRATION    OF  DAVID  PATTEN,  APRIL, 

1834-1841. 

CHAPTER  XXIV.  —  The  Return  of  Peace  and  Prosperity 
to    the  School. 

1834. 
Aug.  11. —  The  Election  of  David  Patten  as  Principal  of  the 

Wesleyan  Academy 213 

His  Earlier  Record  .  .  213 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

His  Associates  in  the  Academy 214 

Increase  in  the  Number  of  Students 215 

1835.  —  Music  Department  Opened 218 

1836. —New  Teachers  — Stocking,  Lane 219 

CHAPTER  XXV.  —  Turn   in    Tide   of  Prosperity. 

John  M.  Merrick  Elected  Trustee 221 

1837.  —  Goodnow,  as  a  New  Teacher 222 

The  Decline  in  Attendance  and  Causes 223 

CHAPTER  XXVI.  —  The  Later  Services  of  David  Patten  at 
the  Academy. 

1838.  —  The  Academy  Prosperous 232 

A  New  Teacher—  W.  H.  Bussell 233 

Hannah  Thompson 235 

1839.— New  Trustees 236 

Opening  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railway  .....  237 
1840. —The  Celebration,  July  4th 238 

The  Exhibition  at  the  Close 239 

1841. —Death  of  Harrison 240 

The  Resignation  of  David  Patten 240 

5.     THE    ADMINISTRATION    OF  CHARLES  ADAMS, 
A.M.,    1841-1845. 

CHAPTER  XXVII.  —  The  Services  and  Associates  of  Charles 
Adams,  A.M. 

Biographical  Data 245 

His  Assistants  in  Teaching      246 

1845.  —  Charles  Adams  Resigns 250 

6.     THE    ADMINISTRATION    OF  ROBERT    ALLYN,   A.M., 

1845-1848. 

CHAPTER    XXVIII.  —  Services  and  Associates  of   Robert 
Allyn,  A.M. 

His  Biographical  Record 257 

The  Case  of  John  W.  Hardy 259 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

New  Trustees  and  Teachers 261 

Trustees  Under  the  New  Charter 265 

1848. — The  Alumni  Gathering  at  the  Close  of  the  Spring 

Term     

The  Kesignation  of  Kobert  Allyn 267 


III.    PERIOD  OF  REBUILDING. 

1.     THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF    MINER   RAYMOND,    D.D. 

CHAPTER  XXIX.  —  Dr.  Raymond  and  His  Collaborateurs. 

1848.  —  Dr.  Raymond  Elected  Principal 271 

Aug. — Incidents  of  his  life     272 

Associates  in  the  Board  of  Instruction 276 

New  Trustees 279 

CHAPTER  XXX.  —  The  Erection  of  Fisk  Hall 

1850. —Election  of  New  Trustees  — Sleeper '.   .  282 

1851.  —  Completion  of  Fisk  Hall 288 

1852.— 

Nov.  — Additions  to  the  Boards 288 

1853.  —  Other  Members  of  the  Boards 289 

CHAPTER  XXXI.  —  Leading  Benefactors. 

Isaac  Rich 294 

CHAPTER  XXXII.  —  Leading  Benefactors. 
Lee  Claflin 303 

CHAPTER  XXXIII.  — Erection  of  Binney  Hall. 

1854. —  The  Site  and  Funds  for  Building 311 

New  Trustees.  —  T.  P.  Richardson  and  Harrison  New- 
hall    313 

The  Political  Excitement 318 

1855. —New  Teachers  —  Warner,  Otheman 320 

Clerical  Subscribers  to  Binney  Hall 323 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV.  —  Ravages  of  the  Fire  Fiend. 

1856.  —  Burning  of  the  Old  Boarding  House 325 

Jan.  4.  —  The  Destruction  Total 328 

The  Courage  of  the  Principal 328 

Feb.  11. —  The  Trustees  Determine  to  Kebuild     330 

The  School  Flourishes 331 

CHAPTER  XXXV.  —  Additional  Ravages. 

1857.  —  Other  Teachers  and  Trustees 334 

Sept.29.— The  Burning  of  the  New  Boarding  House 338 

Eich  and  Claflin  Come  to  the  Aid  of  the  Institution 
in  this  Trying  Hour 341 

CHAPTER  XXXVI.  —  Struggle  with  the  Thirty-Five  Thou- 
sand Dollar  Debt. 

1858.  —  Other  Teachers  and  Trustees 343 

The  Conference  Approves  the  Effort  to  Rebuild     .   .  346 

Appeal  to  the  State  for  Aid 347 

1859.— 
Apr.  9. —The  Act  of  the  Legislature  in  Aid 249 

CHAPTER  XXXVII.  —  Erection  of  Rich  Hall. 

1860. — New  Trustees  and  Teachers — Rand,  Tapley,  Avery, 

Cummings 255 

Mar.  29. — Amendment  to  the  Legislature  Act 361 

Sept.  1.  —  The  Completion  of  Rich  Hall 364 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII.  —  Final  Services  of  Miner  Raymond 
at  Wilbraham. 

1863.  —  Prosperity  in  the  School 368 

1864.  —  Gov.  Andrew  at  Commencement 371 

June  28. —  Resignation  of  Dr.  Raymond 373 

Students  Under  Him  —  Ira  S.  Johnson 376 


CONTENTS.  XV 

2.      ADMINISTRATION    OF   EDWAKD    COOKE,    D.D., 

1864-1874. 

CHAPTER  XXXIX.  —  First  Year  of  Edward    Cooke. 

Aug.  —  Election  as  Principal  of  the  Academy 381 

Biographical  Notice 381 

Teachers  Associated  with  Him 383 

1865.  —  Large  Attendance  of  Students 385 

The  Debt  Still  Kemaining  on  Kich  Hall 387 

CHAPTER  XL.  —  High  Water  Mark. 

1866.  —  The  Highest  Kecord  of  Attendance 389 

Additional  Trustees 390 

Better  Organization  of  Instruction 391 

Advance  in  Expenditures 392 

Students  —  E.B.Andrews 395 

1867.  —  The  Decline  Begins  Very  Slowly 396 

New  Teachers  and  Trustees 396 

Enthusiastic  Alumni  Gathering 398 

CHAPTER  XLT.  —  Semi- Centennial  of  the  Founding  at  Wil- 

braham. 

1868.  —  Additions  to  the  two  Boards 401 

The  Celebration 402 

1869. — Few  Changes  During  this  Year 403 

1870. —New  Teachers  — C.M.  Parker 404 

The  Memorial  Church  —  Chapel     • 405 

Revival  Services  of  Mrs.  Van  Cott 406 

1871.  —  New    Trustees    and    Teachers.  — Orrin    Daggett   as 

Steward 408 

CHAPTER    XLII.  —  Final   Services   of   Edward    Cooke    at 
Wilbraham. 

1872. —New  Elections 410 

Decline  in  Numbers 412 

1873.  —  Large  Number  of  Graduates    .    . 413 

1874.  —  Resignation  of  Dr.  Cooke 416 

June  23. —  Dr.  Cooke' s  Services  at  Claflin 417 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

3.    ADMINISTRATION  OF  N.  FELLOWS,.  1874-1879. 

CHAPTEK    XLIII.  —  Mr.  Fellows'  Earlier  Services  at  the 
Academy. 

Personal  Record  of  Mr.  Fellows 421 

His  Helpers  in  the  School 423 

1875.  —  Changes  in  the  Board  of  Trust 424 

1876. — Attendance,  Graduates  —  Instructors 425 

1877.  — Change  in  the  Boards 427 

1878.  —  Continued  Decline  in  Numbers 429 

CHAPTER  XLIV.  —  Final  Services  of  N.  Fellows. 

1879.  —  Resignation  of  the  Principal 432 

The  Causes  of  the  Decline '. 432 

4.     ADMINISTRATION  OF  GEORGE  M.  STEELE. 

CHAPTER   XLV.  —  Earlier   Services  of  Dr.  Steele. 

Aug. — His  Election  as  Principal      439 

Biographical  Notes      439 

Makes  Many  Changes  in  the  Boards 441 

Deficiency  at  Close  of  the  Year 443 

1880.  —  The  Repair  not  yet  Complete 444 

Bible  Study  in  School • 446 

1881.  —  C.  L.  Eastman,  Financial  Agent 447 

CHAPTER   XLVI.  —  Later  Services  of  Dr.    Steele. 

1882.  —  Dr.  Crowell  as  Financial  Agent 450 

Z.  M.  Crane,  a  Benefactor 452 

1887.— New  Steward— George  A.  Russell 460 

Extinction  of  the  Debt 461 

CHAPTER  XL VII.  —  Conclusion. 
Review  of  Dr.  Steele' s  Work .466 


CONTENTS.  xvil 

5.    ADMINISTRATION  OF  WILLIAM  RICE  NEWHALL, 
A.M. 

CHAPTER  XL VI 1 1.  —  The  Opening  Year. 

1892.  —  Election  as  Principal 476 

Apr.  4.  —  Sketch  of  His  Life 476 

Bequest  to  the  Academy 481 

Sketch  of  the  Life  of  David  Prouty 482 


INDEX. 


Abbott,  Clara,  preceptress 247 

Adams,  Kev.  Charles,  D.D.,  at  Newmarket 56 

Principal  at  Wilbraham 245 

Allen,  R.  W.,  student 207 

Allyn,  Rev.  Robert,   teacher 246 

Principal 257 

Alumni  Gatherings 265,  293,  298,  426 

Andrew,  Gov.  John  A.,  Address 371 

Andrews,  E.  B.,  student  and  later,  President  Brown  University    39 

Isabella  H.,  music  teacher 292 

Annis,  B.  S.,  teacher 460 

Anthony,  Sarah  A.  and  Jane 177 

Anti-Slavery  Agitation 224 

Armstrong,  Charles  P.,  trustee 428 

Avery,  Abraham,  original  trustee 154 

Refused  to  pay  tax 155 

The  Presbyterian  Saddle 156 

Abraham,  Jr 357 

Julia 230 

Bangs,  William  McKendree,  principal 191 

Bates,   Geo.  W.,  student 207 

Benton,    Sanford 175 

Bible  Studies  in  the  Academy 446 

Beach,  J.  W 410,  449 

S.   F 262 

Binney,  Col.  Amos,  an  original  trustee 45 

Donates   Cambridge  property 136 

Resignation 145 

Rev.  Amos,  student  at  Newmarket 52 

Trustee  at  Wilbraham 261 

Hall,   erection 311 

Contributors  to  building  fund 323 


INDEX.  xix 

Bliss,  Hon.  Abel,  original  trustee 71 

Biographical   notice 150 

Resignation   of^  Secretaryship 219 

as  trustee  also 259 

John  Wesley,  trustee 334 

Antoinette,  C.  M 231 

Boarding  House,  the  original,  erected Ill 

Enlargement 116 

Burned  in  1856 326 

The  new  one,  erected 330 

Burned 338 

Rich  Hall,  erected 355 

Boothbay,  Asa,  teacher • .    .  396 

Bowman,  Bp.  Thomas,  student 171 

Brewers,  students 176 

Brewer,  H.  B.,  trustee 288 

Brodhead,   John,    founder 8,  42 

Family 55 

Brooks,  D.  G.,  teacher 407 

James  J.,  Proctor 127 

Brummagim,  D.  M.,  teacher 401 

Bryant,  Laura  M.,  teacher 385 

Buck,  John  R.,  trustee 458 

Buckley,  J.  M.,  trustee 458 

Buckingham,  Herbert  G 458 

Burbank,  H.  H 407 

Burke,  Joseph  C.,  teacher 423 

Buttrick,  George  M.,  trustee 410 

Bush,  Henry  J.,  trustee 390 

Carhart,  Joseph,  teacher -    •   •  411 

Carsons 209 

Chamberlayne,  Catherine  J.,  preceptress 442 

Chamberlains,   students 177 

Chase,  D.  H.,  teacher 204 

Chester,   Simeon  F.,  teacher ' ' .   .    .  289 

Claflin,  Lee,  trustee  and  benefactor 303 

Wilbur  F.,   trustee 407 

Clark,   John 4$ 

Daniel  J 423 

William  R.,  student 267 

Cokesbury  College 1 2 


XX  INDEX. 

Cooke,  Edward,  principal 381,  387 

Kesignation 410 

Corbin,  C.  C.,  trustee 448 

Conwell,  Russell  H.  .   .    . 267,  426 

Cowell,  Geo.  H.,  trustee 463 

Crane,   Z.  M.,  student 177 

Benefactor,  sketch 452 

Lucinda 209 

Frank  Lindley 418 

Crocker,  Henry  E.,  teacher •  .   .    .  404 

Crowell,  Joshua,   trustee 71 

Biographical  sketch 161 

Loranus,  trustee  and  agent 450 

Cummings,  Joseph,  trustee 359,  425 

Daggett,  Orrin,   steward 408 

Emma  A.,  teacher 424 

Debt,  the  thirty-five  thousand  dollars 343 

Legislative  aid 348 

Extinction 461 

Dickinson,  Geo.  R.,  trustee 460 

Dole,  Samuel  P.,  teacher 196 

Duncan,  Alexander  J.,  teacher 413 

Dunn,  Nathaniel,  first  teacher  at  Wilbraham 96 

Resignation 146 

Biographical  notice 146 

Durrell,  O.  H.,  trustee 459 

Eastman,  Rev.  C.  L.,  financial  agent 447 

Eggleston,  Rev.  A.  C.,  trustee 426 

Ela,  D.  H.,  trustee 444 

Fellows,  Rev.  N.,  teacher 343 

Principal 421 

Trustee  413 

Resignation 432 

Fillmore,  Dan 47 

Fisk,  Hall,  erection  of 282,  286 

Rev.   Wilbur,  D.D.,  disapproved  of  the  location  at 

Newmarket 35 

First  principal  at  Wilbraham 38 

Opening  Address 91 

Method  of  discipline 105 

Whipping  case 107 


INDEX.  XXI 

Fisk,    Close  of  his  term  at  Wilbraham 180 

Sketch  of  his  life 180 

Isaiah 89 

Franklin 208 

Herbert  F.,  a  teacher 396 

Flagg,  A.  S.,  trustee 463 

Foster,  John  W 176 

Fisher  Ames 208 

Rev.  John,  principal 201 

Furber,  Rev.  Franklin 406 

David  B.,  teacher 396 

Gill,  Benjamin,  teacher 411 

Goodenough,  S.  J.,  trustee 429 

Goodnow,  Isaac  T.,  teacher 222 

Gymnasium 445 

Hall,  Adelia  M.,  bookkeeper 444 

Mary,   teacher , 413 

Hampshire  County,  devoted  to  education 70 

Hamilton,  Jefferson 173 

Handy,   Helen  A.,  teacher 385 

Harrington,  Karl  B.,  teacher 459 

Hardy,  John  W.,  trustee  and  steward 102,  205,259 

Hascall,  Jefferson,  Proctor 127 

Hawkins,  J.  W.  H.,  Hannah  and  Elizabeth  D.,  students  ....  253 

Harvey,  Ed.  B.,  teacher 366 

Hayden,  J 236 

Hazen,  Cynthia,  teacher 391 

Henderson,  Elizabeth 209 

Healy,  W 248 

Hill,  Isabella  (see  Raymond) 

Morris 174 

Hitchcock,  L.  E 463 

Hoagland,  W.  L.,  teacher 390 

Hovey,  H.  N.,  trustee 265 

Howard,  O.  R 175 

Howe,  O.  S.,  teacher 278,335 

Houghton,  A.  C.,  trustee 448 

Hoyt,  Oliver,  trustee 449 

Hubbard,  L.  M.,  trustee 448 

Hyde,  Rev.  Edward,  steward 197 

George  M.,  trustee 204 


XX11  INDEX. 

Hyde,  Catherine,  preceptress 215 

Jennison,  Kev.  Isaac,  erects  the  Boarding  Hall 115 

Isaac,  Jr 172 

Jenkins,  Emeline  B.,  preceptress .   .249 

Jewett,  Uriah 54 

Johnson,  Ira  S 377 

Edwin  H 424 

Judd,  Orange,  teacher 263 

Kelley,  Samuel 53 

Kelsey,  Ed.  E.,  music  teacher 423 

Keener,  Bp.  J.  C.,  student 121 

Keyes,  Rachel,  teacher 403 

Kingston,  Branch 29,  30 

Kimpton,  Truman,   trustee 235 

Truman  H.,  teacher 366 

Knight,  Joel,  student 125 

Mrs.  A.  C.,  teacher 396 

Lane,  Harvey  B.,  teacher 219 

Alex.  P.,  steward 264 

Larrabee,  W.  C.,  student 53 

Lee,  Jason,  and  Daniel 175,  178 

Lincoln,  Timothy  D.,  student 208 

Loomis,  Reuben  H.,  student 247 

Lovell,   John,    student 57 

Lloyd,   W.   J.,  teacher 458 

Luke,  James,  trustee 263 

Mann,  Horace,   educator 227 

Marcy,  Thomas,  and  Ichabod,  students,  Oliver,  teacher  ....  262 

Dr.  H.  O.,  trustee 464 

Manual  Labor  Department 136,  142 

Maffit,  John   .   . 208 

Magee,  J.  P.,  trustee -442 

Magoun,  William,   teacher 125 

Mallalieu,  W.  F.,  trustee 442 

Merrill,  Joseph  A.,  trustee  at  Newmarket  and  a  donor  .    ....    38 

Trustee  at  Wilbraham 81 

Biographical  notice -82 

Annis,  student 56 

Alumni  Address 266 

Amos  B.,  student  and  trustee 429 

John  W 56,  173,  289 


INDEX.  xxiii 

Merrill,  David  K.,  trustee •  .   .   .   .  413 

Nathaniel  J 107 

Memorial  Church 406 

Merrick,  John  M.,  trustee 219,  221 

Notice 321 

Frederick 167 

Koderick  S 247 

Merwin,  John  B.,  and  Andrew 175 

Methodists  in  New  England 5 

Middleton,  James,  teacher 407 

Moore,   Henry 176 

Morrill,  Hannah  D.,  teacher  1868 401 

Moulton,  Horace 172 

Mudge,  Enoch,  trustee 102 

New  England  devoted  to  education 3 

Methodists  in 4 

Opposed  to  the  New  Faith 6 

Conference  adopts  the  Academy 10 

Newhall,  Fales  H.,  teacher,  trustee •    .    .  276,  390 

Harrison,  trustee 316 

William  Kice,  principal 475 

Newmarket,  location  of  the  Academy  there,  and  attractions  of  the 

place    ....          11 

Erection  of  the  Academy 13 

First  students 13 

Incorporation • 18 

By-Laws 20 

Nickerson,  Pliny,  trustee 288 

Plan  of  Education 23 

Norcross,  I.  M.,  teacher 459 

North,  William,  trustee 279 

Crandall  J.,  teacher 411 

Northrup,  D.  W.,  teacher 388 

Otheman,  Edward,  student  at  Newmarket 53 

At  Wilbraham 173 

Teacher  and  trustee 194 

Edward  B.,  teacher 320 

Parker,   Charles  M.,  teacher 404 

Patten,  David,  student  and  teacher 125 

Principal 213 

Phelps,  J.  W.,  trustee 410 


XXIV  INDEX. 

Pickard,  Humphrey,  student 176,  178 

Pierce,  W.  C.,  student 219 

Pickering,  Rev.  George,  financial  agent 135,  140 

Pillsbury,  John  H.,  teacher 423 

Phillips,  W.  H.  H.,  teacher 407 

Pond,  L.  W.,  trustee 401 

Porter,  Rev.  James,  preacher 219 

Edward  F.,  trustee 387 

Potter,  Hannah,  music  department 218 

Preceptresses  —  first,  Miss  Tillinghast 104 

Second,  Susan  Brewer 126 

Prentice,  Laura  E.,  teacher 391 

Proctors,  Selah  Stocking 127 

John  J.  Brooks 127 

Jefferson  Hascall 127 

Rand,  Geo.  C.,  trustee 356 

Mary  A.,  teacher 460 

Raymond,  Miner,  student 144 

Principal 271 

Resignation 368 

Charles  H.,  teacher 427 

Railroad  B.  and  A.,  opened 237 

Reed,  George  E.,  student 376 

Revival,  the  Great 132 

Rich,  Isaac,  trustee 294 

WinfieldS.,  teacher 459 

Hall 355 

Rice,   William,  Sen.,  trustee 163 

William,  Jr.,  trustee 226 

Gardiner,  student 208 

Lee,  trustee 265 

Richardson,  Thos.  P.,  trustee 311 

Rising,  D.    B.,  trustee 444 

Rogers,  Caleb  D 52 

Robinson,  D.  P.,  trustee 278 

Rockwell,  Jarvis,  trustee 447 

Roper,  John,  teacher , 215 

Ruter,  Martin,  Principal  at  Newmarket 26 

Biographical  notice 27,  34 

Semi-Centennial  celebration 401 

Sessions,  Horace  M.,  trustee,  John  H.,  trustee 458 


INDEX.  xxv 

Sessions,  Jane  C 230 

Schools,   public 227 

Sears,  Eloise,  teacher 424 

Shafter,  John  L 208 

Sleeper,  Jacob,  trustee 282 

Shumway,  E.  B.,  teacher 367 

Slater,  John  F.,  and  Will.  A 179 

Smith,  Gad.  N.,  student 207 

Aug.  W.,  trustee 233 

Horace,  trustee 369 

L.  C.,  trustee   428 

William,  trustee 236,  237 

Stewart,   Theophilus,  student 208 

Stebbens,  R.  P.,  Dr.,  student 175 

Steele,  Geo.  M.,  teacher 284 

Principal 439 

Resignation 466 

Daniel,  student 247 

Trustee 425 

Stewards,  the  first,  Thompson 119 

Weeks 128 

Hyde 197 

Stevens,  Abel,  student 230 

Stocking,  Selah 127,  174 

Sabura,  teacher 203 

Stockwell,  Charles  F.,  teacher 246 

Stone,  Lucy,   student 230 

Stowei-s,  C.  N.,  teacher 355 

Studley,  W.  S.,  student 399,  467 

Sutherland,  George,  student 52 

Sturtevant,  W.  F.,  trustee 436 

Tapley,  P.  P.,  trustee 359 

Taylor,  Edw.  T.,  student 53 

Henry  L.,  teacher 443 

Lewis  H.,  trustee 369 

Tillinghast,  Charlotte,    first  preceptress,   became  wife   of  N". 

Dunn  .   .    . 104 

Thompson,  Eben.,  steward 119 

Tourje,  Eben.,  teacher  music 397 

True,  Rev.  C.  K.,  student 171 

Trustee  ...  .285 


xxvi  INDEX. 

Twombly,  John  H.,  teacher 249 

Upham,  S.  F.,  trustee 426 

Van  Cott,  Maggie,  revivalist 436 

Vail,  Albert  S.,   teacher 335 

Warner,  Emerson,  teacher 320 

Trustee 424 

Francis  J.,  trustee 369 

Samuel,  trustee       266 

Warren,  Henry  W.,  teacher 290 

William  F.,  Pastor  of  the  Village  Church  .   .351,  378,  405 

Warn  eld,  Ruby,  preceptress , 336 

Webb,  Dan.,  Agent  of  Ziorfs  Herald 123 

Weeks,  Solomon,  steward 128 

Wesley,  Views  on  education 2 

Wesleyan  Academy,  founded  by  the  New  England  Conference    8 

Removed  to  Wilbraham 61 

Liberal  policy 73 

By-Laws 74 

Plan  of  education 75 

Conference  approves 75 

First  subscribers 79 

Erection  of  the  old  Academy 81 

Site 83 

Studies 98 

Government 105 

Boarding  House Ill 

Manual  labor  department 136 

Mercantile  department 142 

Wilbraham,  as  the  location  for  the  Academy 61 

Trustees 68 

People 69 

Conference  of  1826 121 

White,  Moses,  first  teacher 13, 33 

Principal 35 

Character 48 

J.  B.,  trustee 13, 19 

Lorenxo 383 

Whipping  Case 107 

Wilson,  Hiram  A     208 

Winchester,  Charles,  trustee 459 

Wright,  Robert,  trustee 261 


INDEX.  xxvii 

Wright,  Geo.  L.,  trustee 426 

Wood,  Thomas  B.,  teacher 384 

Woods,  Charles  D.,  teacher 459 

Ziori's  Herald  donated  to  the  Academy  .  • 122 

Sold  to  Book  Room 123 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


KICH  HALL Frontispiece 

WILBUR  FISK Frontispiece 

THE  ACADEMY  AT  NEWMARKET 12 

KEV.  JOHN  BRODHEAD 42 

COL.  AMOS  BINNEY 45 

KEV.  ED  WARD  T.  TAYLOR 54 

THE  OLD  ACADEMY  (1825) 81 

NATHANIEL  DUNN 96 

REV.  H.  PICKARD 96 

REV.  J.  HASCALL 96 

HANNAH  M.  THOMPSON 126 

SUSAN  BREWER 126 

ISABELLA  HILL  (MRS.  RAYMOND) 126 

HON.  ABEL  BLISS 150 

ABRAHAM  AVERY,  SEN 154 

REV.  CALVIN  BREWER 158 

WILLIAM  RICE,  SEN.  (IN  YOUTH) 158 

REV.  JOSHUA  CROWELL 161 

WILLIAM  RICE,  SEN 163 

REV.  FRED.  MERRICK 165 

BP.  OSMAN  C.  BAKER 170 

BP.  THOMAS  BOWMAN 170 

REV.  ABEL  STEVENS 178 

C.  C.  CORBIN 178 

REV.  DAVID  PATTEN 213 

JOHN  M.  MERRICK 221 

ISAAC  T.  GOODNOW 222 

REV.  JOHN  H.  TWOMBLY 222 

REV.  WILLIAM  RICE 226 

L.  M.  HODGKINS 235 

E.  R.  MOODY  (MRS.  STERLING) 235 

SUSAN  J.  SWIFT  (MRS.  G.  M.  STEELE) 235 

LYDIA  BREWER  (MRS.  COLT) 233 


ILL  US  TRA  TIONS. 

REV.  CHARLES  ADAMS 245 

REV.  ROBERT  ALLYN 257 

PROF.  OLIVER  MARCY 262 

REV.  W.  S.  STUDLEY 265 

REV.  N.  J.  BURTON 265 

REV.  MINER  RAYMOND 271 

THE  ACADEMY  (1892) 273 

REV.  FALES  H.  NEWHALL 276 

BP.  GILBERT  HAVEN 276 

REV.  DANIEL  STEELE 276 

BP.  W.  F.  MALLALIEU 276 

FISK  HALL 282 

HON.  JACOB  SLEEPER 283 

THE  OLD  CLUB  HALL 284 

THE  PHILO  HALL. 286 

FRONT  WALK 288 

BP.  HENRY  W.  WARREN 290 

ISAAC  RICH 294 

TENNIS  GROUNDS 296 

LEE  CLAFLIN 303 

THOS.  P.  RICHARDSON 313 

HARUISON  NEWHALL 316 

DR.  E.  WARNER 316 

HON.  AMOS  B.  MERRILL 352 

R.  L.  CUMNOCK 352 

GEORGE  C.  RAND 356 

ABRAHAM  AVERY,  JR 357 

PRES.  GEORGE  E.  REED 376 

IRA  S.  JOHNSON 377 

REV.  EDWARD  COOKE 381 

PRES.  E.  B.  ANDREWS 395 

REV.  I.  J.  LANSING 402 

REV.  Jos.  PULLMAN 402 

STEPHEN  O.  SHERMAN 402 

FRANK  M.  CRANE 402 

CHARLES  M.  PARKER 404 

CHARLES  H.  RAYMOND 404 

BENJAMIN  GILL 404 

HERBERT  F.  FISK 404 

REV.  NATHANIEL  FELLOWS 421 

ED.  H.  JOHNSON 424 


XXX  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

REV.  GEO.  M.  STEELE 439 

L.  M.  HUBBAKD 448 

HON.  Z.  M.  CRANE 452 

HON.  JOHN  R.  BUCK 458 

REV.  LOBANUS  CROWELL 461 

REV.  WILLIAM  RICE  NEWHALL 475 

DAVID  PKOUTY 475 


GENERAL    OUTLINE. 


IN  the  annals  of  American  education,  the  history  of 
the  Wesleyan  Academy  forms  a  chapter  of  peculiar 
interest,  as  well  to  the  intelligent  general  reader  as  to 
members  of  the  Methodist  public  and  to  the  large  num- 
bers who  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  instruction 
within  its  halls.  Besides  achieving  an  enviable  success, 
in  educating  so  many  of  the  children  of  the  people,  it 
enjoys  the  honor  of  being  the  oldest  existing  literary 
institution  established  by  the  Methodists  in  America. 
Opened  at  Newmarket,  N.H.,  in  1817,  under  the  charge 
of  the  Rev.  Martin  Ruter,  A.M.,  it  was  removed  to  Wil- 
braham,  Mass.,  in  1824,  when  the  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk, 
A.M.,  became  principal ;  and  under  the  administration 
of  the  Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  elected  in  1848,  the 
original  buildings  were,  with  a  single  exception,  re- 
placed by  a  more  substantial  and  imposing  suite.  In 
view  of  these  facts,  the  history  of  this  honored  institu- 
tion naturally  falls  into  three  periods,  viz., — 

I.     THE  PERIOD  OF  FOUNDING,  1817-1824. 
II.     THE  PERIOD  OF  REMOVAL,  1824-1848. 
III.     THE  PERIOD  OF  REBUILDING,  1848-1890. 


periob  of  ffounbing. 

1817  —  1824. 


"&t)eresh,all  be  an  tyanbful  of  corn  in  th,e  earth,  upon 
ttje  top  of  th,e  mountains;  th,e  fruit  thereof  sljail  sljake 
like  Lebanon.  —  flsalm  72:  16. 


kingbom  of  b,eaoen   is    like  to   a  grain  of 

mustarb  seeb,  toljicl)  inbeeb  is  tl)e  least  of  all  seebs; 

v 

but  roh,en  it  is  groton,  it  is  tl)e  greatest  among  l)erbs, 
anb  becometl)  a  tree,  so  lh,at  tl)e  birbs  of  tlie  air  come 
anb  lobge  in  tl)e  branches  tljcreof.  —  Saint  iUlatlljeiD, 
Otljap.  18:  31. 


HISTORY  OF 

Of  all  the  leaders  of  religious  thought  and  activity, 
no  one  was  ever  more  deeply  impressed  with  the  im- 
portance of  uniting  these  two  moral  forces  than  John 
Wesley.  His  views  of  education  were  broad  and  prac- 
tical. He  had  studied  Locke  and  Milton.  He  had 
examined  the  various  methods  of  education  of  his  time, 
and  had  become  convinced  that  popularization  was  an 
imperative  demand.  Knowledge,  which  had  so  long 
remained  a  monopoly  of  the  university,  needed  to  be 
brought  within  the  reach  of  the  people.  Kingswood 
School  marks  his  first  attempt  to  put  his  ideal  in  prac- 
tice. It  was  the  beginning  of  a  system  which  has  been 
developed  on  broader  lines  among  the  Wesleyans. 

The  ideas  of  Wesley  were  to  find  their  broader  and 
better  realization  in  the  new  world.  Cokesbury  Col- 
lege, founded  in  1784,  was  a  mere  projection  of  English 
thought.  It  is  possibly  well  that  the  enterprise  early 
failed,  and  the  few  preachers  then  on  the  continent 
turned  their  attention  to  evangelization,  following  the 
sheep  scattered  through  the  wilderness.  The  foundation 
on  the  banks  of  the  Susquehanna  was  not  American. 
A  better  type  of  education  was  to  be  finally  adopted 
by  the  American  Methodists,  a  type  in  harmony  with 
the  ideas  and  practices  of  the  people  of  the  new  world. 
The  time  for  the  better  plan  had  not  then  come.  The 
gospel  was  to  be  preached.  The  cause  was  to  expand 
to  other  parts  of  the  continent,  as  a  preparation  for 
the  work  of  education  by  the  new  denomination.  The 
institutions  of  those  who  had  preceded  them  were  to  be 
observed  and  studied;  and  then,  in  the  light  of  wider 
experience  and  better  knowledge,  the  new  educational 
system  was  to  be  constructed. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  3 

New  England  has  been  the  source  of  much  theoreti- 
cal and  practical  wisdom,  utilized  in  other  parts  of 
America.  Here  was  the  cradle  of  liberty.  Here  was 
invented  the  town.  Here  originated  the  system  of 
popular  education.  Here,  too,  were  established  the 
academy  and  college,  as  complementary  of  the  popular 
system.  In  New  England,  as  nowhere  else  on  the  con- 
tinent, there  was  an  early  educational  atmosphere  felt 
in  all  the  homes  and  churches.  For  a  long  time  New 
England  stood  alone  in  her  enthusiasm  for  education. 
The  Royal  Governor  of  Virginia  congratulated  himself 
and  his  people  that  the  colony  was  without  a  common 
school  or  a  printing  press.  This  utterance  is  foreign  to 
the  temper  of  New  England,  where,  from  the  first,  edu- 
cation was  held  in  high  esteem.  To  Massachusetts 
belongs  the  undying  honor  of  having  brought  into 
practical  operation  the  common  school  system.  As 
early  as  1647,  the  General  Court  enacted  that  "  When 
any  town  shall  increase  to  the  number  of  one  hundred 
families,  or  households,  they  shall  set  up  a  grammar 
school,  the  master  thereof  being  able  to  instruct  youth 
so  far  as  they  may  be  fitted  for  the  university";  and  in 
1820,  an  educational  article,  enjoining  the  main  features 
of  the  system,  was  incorporated  in  her  constitution. 
The  system  has  been  highly  appreciated  by  the  people. 
The  poorest  family  covets  the  privilege  of  education 
for  its  children;  and  not  a  few  have  passed  from  the 
humble  cottage  or  mountain  farm  to  the  seat  of  the 
judge,  the  halls  of  legislation,  the  pulpit  and  the  mart 
of  trade.  The  educational  temper  and  methods  of  New 
England  have  done  very  much  to  elevate  her  people, 
and  to  make  her  influential  in  the  affairs  and  councils 


4  HISTORY  OF 

of  the  nation.  Her  ideas  have  been  advanced;  her 
men  and  women  have  been  at  once  energetic  and  prac- 
tical, able  readily  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  conditions 
of  other  parts  of  the  country. 

The  Methodists  came  late  to  New  England.  Their 
message  had  made  considerable  progress  in  New  York, 
Baltimore,  the  South  and  the  then  opening  West,  before 
the  new  evangelists  turned  their  faces  to  the  East, 
where  the  spiritual  destitution  was  supposed  to  be  less. 
But  in  1789  Jesse  Lee  entered  New  England,  passing 
through  Norwalk  on  to  Newport,  Boston  and  Lynn, 
where  he  erected  the  banner  with  a  strange  device,  and 
began  the  planting  of  Methodist  churches.  The  strug- 
gle at  Boston  to  obtain  a  foothold  was  a  severe  one ;  but 
Lynn  yielded  to  the  first  attack,  arid  other  places  fol- 
lowed. For  a  long  while,  however,  the  progress  of  the 
movement  was  very  slow.  Two  or  three  missionaries 
struggled  to  obtain  a  foothold  and  to  secure  converts 
amid  established  institutions,  and  a  people  educated 
in  another  phase  of  the  Christian  faith.  As  a  conse- 
quence, neither  the  new  men  nor  their  message  were 
readily  understood. 

But  the  coming  of  the  Methodists  was  fortunate  both 
for  themselves  and  New  England.  They  came  with  a 
message  of  love  and  salvation,  which  has  not  been  to 
the  disadvantage  of  the  East,  and  in  return  they  re- 
ceived here  their  best  ideas  of  education.  Here,  as 
nowhere  else,  the  service  was  mutual.  The  zeal  of  the 
Methodists  has  provoked  the  Puritan  churches ;  the 
educational  methods  and  animus  existing  here  have 
proved  a  lasting  benefit  to  the  Methodists. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  effort  of  the  preachers 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  5 

Was  to  secure  a  foothold.  They  came  not  as  a  colony 
into  the  country.  They  were  solitary  missionaries  who 
could  hope  to  plant  churches  only  by  making  converts 
among  the  people  to  whom  they  came;  and  so  great 
was  the  prejudice  against  the  new  order,  and  the  want 
of  means  and  men  to  prosecute  the  work,  that  the 
progress  was  very  slow.  The  preachers  ran  over  much 
territory,  but  were  able  to  drive  a  stake  only  here  and 
there.  Patience  and  perseverance  were  brought  into 
requisition  to  an  unusual  degree.  Of  course,  during  all 
this  tentative  period,  the  question  of  education  was  not 
seriously  considered.  The  evangelistic  work  took  the 
precedence. 

The  time  came,  however,  when  the  question  of  ad- 
vanced education  was  raised.  Children  in  our  families 
began  to  seek  advantages  beyond  those  afforded  in  the 
public  school ;  and,  in  order  to  enjoy  them,  they  were 
obliged  to  enter  institutions  under  the  control  of  "the 
standing  order."  This  was  objectionable  in  various 
ways.  The  antagonism  between  the  bodies  was  such 
as  we  now  find  it  hard  to  realize  ;  in  some  cases,'  they 
had  no  more  dealings  with  each  other  than  the  Jews 
and  Samaritans.  Of  course,  with  such  views,  the  two 
could  not  educate  in  the  same  institutions.  And  then 
the  educational  institutions  of  the  East  were  employed, 
far  more  than  in  our  day,  as  a  proselyting  agency. 
The  creation  of  the  faithful,  these  institutions  were 
expected  to  do  yeoman  service  for  the  cause  of  ortho- 
doxy. The  ideas  and  institutions  of  other  sects  were 
often  treated  with  little  respect,  and  pupils  belonging 
to  them  either  conceived  a  dislike  for  the  school  or 
became  ashamed  of  their  own  church  and  abandoned  it. 


6  HIS  TO  ay  OF 

This  feature  was  not,  indeed,  peculiar  to  New  England. 
It  was  characteristic  of  an  age  of  theological  contro- 
versy, when  it  was  not  thought  un-Christian  to  treat 
either  side  in  an  ungentlemanly  way.  An  advantage 
was  coveted ;  and  no  advantage  could  be  so  great  as  to 
subject  a  rival  body  to  ridicule  and  contempt.  "In 
America,"  says  Bishop  Simpson,  "literary  institutions 
were  under  the  control  of  some  of  the  older  churches ; 
while  no  religious  test  was  legal,  the  whole  influence 
was  thrown  against  Methodist  theology  and  usages. 
Some  of  us  well  remember  the  proscription  and  ridicule 
through  which  we  passed  on  account  of  our  faith.  At 
last,  in  self-defense,  Methodism  was  obliged  to  build 
her  own  seminaries  and  colleges."  If  a  better  senti- 
ment now  prevails,  it  is  due,  in  no  small  measure,  to 
the  founding  of  rival  institutions. 

But,  aside  from  this  consideration,  the  Methodists  of 
that  day  had  a  laudable  desire  to  take  a  hand  in  the 
great  educational  system  through  which  their  children 
were  to  pass.  As  other  sects  were  engaged  in  higher 
education,  the  Methodists  could  not  retain  respect  for 
themselves  if  they  refrained  from  the  work.  They 
wished  to  do  whatever  was  demanded  by  their  position, 
as  one  of  the  religious  organizations  of  the  country ; 
and  it  certainly  seemed  to  be  a  plain  demand  that  they 
should  take  steps  to  found  institutions  for  the  training 
of  those  committed  to  their  care.  The  institution  whose 
history  we  are  about  to  relate,  was,  as  already  stated, 
the  first  successful  attempt  of  the  kind.  As  such  it 
deserves  at  our  hands  a  fair  record.  The  tentative  ef- 
fort, the  small  beginning,  the  planting  of  the  mustard 
seed,  which  was  to  expand  to  the  larger  proportions  of 


*THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  7 

a  tree,  furnish  us  lessons  of  hope  and  courage.  The  one 
has  already  been  multiplied  into  many  ;  and  the  larger 
enterprises  of  to-day  are  made  possible  by  the  struggles 
and  successes  on  this  narrower  field.  Other  men 
labored;  we  enter  into  their  labors. 


8  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   BEGINNINGS   AT   SOUTH   NEWMARKET. 

AS  already  indicated,  the  work  of  evangelization  in 
New  England  necessarily  preceded  that  of  found- 
ing literary  institutions.  Congregations  must  be  gath- 
ered and  churches  organized  before  there  could  be  any 
to  build  or  patronize  an  academy ;  but  we  are  assured 
that  the  thoughts  of  our  people  were  early  drawn  to  the 
subject,  as  something  to  be  realized  only  at  a  distant 
day.  The  realization  was,  however,  much  nearer  than 
the  most  sanguine  dared  to  anticipate.  Eighteen  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  is  memorable  as  the  year  when  the 
dream  of  a  few  of  the  preachers  took  form,  and  the  first 
step  was  made  in  the  desired  enterprise. 

The  academy  at  Newmarket  was  really  founded  by 
the  preachers  of  the  New  England  Conference.  At  a 
preachers'  meeting,  held  at  Newmarket  in  the  autumn  of 
1815,  the  subject  awakened  more  than  usual  attention 
among  the  members.  In  a  moment  of  happy  insoira- 
tion,  it  was  proposed  by  a  sanguine  member  to  proceed 
at  once  with  the  undertaking,  and  the  proposal  carried 
the  meeting.  If  the  cause  was  a  good  one,  they  deemed 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  9 

the  time  ripe.  The  question  of  location  was  considered, 
and  the  members  turned  with  a  good  deal  of  unanimity 
to  the  place  where  they  were  then  assembled.  It  was 
the  residence  of  Rev.  John  Brodhead,  a  leading  man 
among  them,  whose  influence  in  Church  and  State,  it 
was  thought,  would  go  far  to  make  it  a  success.  It  was, 
moreover,  central  in  the  string  of  churches  along  the 
eastern  shore.  Though  the  movement  opened  the  way 
to  ultimate  success,  it  was,  no  doubt,  premature,  and 
was  certainly  attended  with  many  difficulties  of  which 
the  prime  movers  had,  at  the  time,  no  suspicion.  They 
were  without  funds  for  such  an  undertaking.  They 
were  equally  destitute  of  experience  in  founding  and 
managing  literary  institutions.  They  were  not  at  all 
aware  how  difficult  it  is  to  acquire  the  trade.  It  was, 
perhaps,  fortunate  that  they  began  to  build  in  happy 
ignorance  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  completion. 
If  they  had  known  all  at  the  start,  it  is  quite  sure  the 
first  step  would  not  have  been  taken ;  but,  having  put 
their  hands  to  the  plough,  the  courage  of  the  men  bore 
them  on  to  the  end,  with  the  assurance  that  if  unable 
themselves  to  complete  the  task,  others  would  be  raised 
up  for  the  purpose. 

Before  the  adjournment  of  the  meeting,  a  committee 
on  location  was  appointed,  with  instructions  to  select 
Newmarket,  provided  the  citizens  would  afford  the  en- 
terprise sympathy  and  material  aid.  At  an  early  day, 
the  matter  was  brought  before  the  people  by  the  chair- 
man, the  Rev.  John  Brodhead,  and  assurances  of  sup- 
port were  given  on  condition  of  a  guarantee  that  a 
school  should  be  maintained  for  a  series  of  years.  As 
the  committee  did  not  feel  competent  to  give  the 


10  HISTORY  OF 

required  guarantee,  the  whole  matter  was  taken  to  the 
annual  Conference,  which  met  at  Bristol,  R.  I.,  June  22, 
1816.  With  the  purpose  of  the  committee,  the  Confer- 
ence was  in  full  sympathy,  and  was  prepared  to  afford 
aid.  To  this  end,  a  committee  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  John  Brodhead,  Martin  Ruter  and  Caleb  Dustin,  "to 
take  into  consideration  the  business  of  an  academy  pro- 
posed to  be  built  under  our  direction  at  Newmarket." 
The  committee  reported  the  next  day  in  favor  of  the 
design,  but  presented  no  plan.  A  new  committee,  con- 
sisting of  Joshua  Soule,  Joseph  A.  Merrill  and  John 
Brodhead,  was  raised  "  to  direct  a  course  proper  for  this 
Conference  to  pursue  in  relation  to  the  academy."  Their 
report  recommended  the  appointment  of  five  brethren 
"to  make  such  arrangements  with  the  subscribers  at 
Newmarket,  as  they  think  best  as  agents  of  the  Confer- 
ence." The  report  was  accepted,  and  Charles  Virgin, 
Caleb  Dustin,  Philip  Munger  and  George  Pickering 
were  named  as  the  committee.  Their  power  was  limited 
by  the  folio  wing  proviso,  viz. : —  (1)  "The  said  academy, 
if  built,  to  be  placed  under  the  control  and  direction  of 
the  New  England  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  (2.)  Provided  the  academy  shall  be 
built  by  the  10th  of  May  next,  and  permanently  placed 
under  the  direction  and  control  of  the  Conference,  as 
above,  the  New  England  Conference  on  their  part, 
engage  that  they  will  furnish  a  preceptor  for  five  years. 
Yet  it  is  to  be  understood  that  all  monies  arising  from 
tuition,  shall  be  at  the  disposal  of  said  Conference." 
The  acceptance  of  these  conditions  by  the  people  of 
Newmarket  closed  the  transaction.  The  bond  bound 
them  to  the  performance  of  the  conditions. 


The  place  thus  selected  as  the  seat  of  the  proposed 
institution  was  a  small  rural  town  in  Rockingham 
County,  N.H.  The  natural  scenery  has  few  striking 
features.  The  lands,  which  further  to  the  west  rise 
into  the  grandeur  of  the  White  Hills,  here  sink  nearly 
to  level  of  the  ocean,  the  surface  being  varied  only  by 
slight  swells  and  ridges.  The  town,  located  on  the 
banks  of  the  Squamscott,  a  tributary  of  the  Piscataqua, 
or  rather  of  Great  Bay,  a  tidal  basin  with  an  area  of 
about  nine  square  miles,  is  shut  off  from  the  ocean  on 
the  east  by  the  Stratham  hills.  The  valley  of  the 
Squamscott  was  then  rich  in  gardens,  meadows  and 
grain  fields,  and  the  passage  of  sloops  and  schooners 
gave  picturesqueness  to  the  scene.  The  quietude,  the 
subdued  aspect  of  nature  and  the  healthful  moral  atmos- 
phere were  conditions  favorable  to  study. 

The  pledge,  so  cheerfully  given  by  the  gentlemen  of 
the  town,  was  only  partially  redeemed.  They  furnished 
the  site;  but  a  large  part  of  the  seven  hundred  and 
fifty-five  dollars  for  the  erection  of  the  building  was 
contributed  by  the  preachers,  many  of  them  living  at  a 
distance.  Of  the  contributions  made  in  town,  a  large 
part  was  in  labor  and  material.  In  completing  the 
subscription,  John  Brodhead  was  extremely  helpful. 
Though  the  sum  was  small,  much  exertion  was  required 
to  secure  it.  The  Methodists  were  then  few,  and  their 
means  small.  The  whole  people  were  poor,  and  money 
was  scarce.  To-day  a  hundred  dollars  are  more  easily 
obtained  than  one  dollar  at  that  date.  The  faith  and 
steady  devotion  of  Brodhead  should  not  be  forgotten  by 
later  generations. 

With  the  avails  of  this  subscription,  the  first  Metho- 


12  fflSTORT  OF 

dist  academy  in  New  England  was  erected  on  the  road 
to  Epping,  near  the  common.  It  was  a  two-story  wood 
building,  facing  the  east,  with  a  porch  midway,  termi- 
nating in  a  bell  tower,  affording  space  for  a  small 
entrance  and  a  stairway.  The  lower  story  contained  a 
single  room  with  a  desk  on  the  north  side,  and  space  in 
front  for  classes.  The  seats  were  of  wood  with  desks 
attached,  facing  a  part  to  the  north  and  a  part  to  the 
south.  The  upper  story  was  divided  into  two  rooms, 
one  of  which  was  unfurnished  and  reserved  for  storage 
of  books  and  apparatus.*  In  front  was  a  lawn  of  a  half 
acre.  The  building,  now  used  as  a  dwelling,  is  still  in 
existence.  After  the  removal  to  Wilbraham,  a  select 
school,  was,  for  several  years,  kept  in  it,  under  the 
control  of  leading  citizens.  Though  without  imposing 
proportions,  or  architectural  beauty,  this  building  re- 
mains an  interesting  memorial  of  the  humble,  yet  hope- 
ful beginnings  of  an  institution  of  learning  which  has 
become  known  through  the  land,  and  has  proved  a 
blessing  to  multitudes  of  youth  educated  in  its  halls,  as 
well  as  to  the  church  under  whose  auspices  it  was 
erected. 

The  committee  reported  their  doings  to  the  Confer- 
ence held  at  Concord,  N.H.,  May  16,  1817.  Some 
thought  they  had  done  unwisely  in  the  pledge  to  furnish 
instruction  for  five  years;  but  Soule,  Hedding,  Merritt 
and  Pickering  carried  the  Conference  in  favor  of  the 
report.  The  question  of  title  to  the  property  w;is 
"  referred  to  a  committee  to  take  legal  advice  thereon, 
and  to  have  a  draft  of  an  act  of  incorporation  to  submit 
to  the  next  annual  Conference ;  and  that,  at  present,  a 

*Rev.  J.  W.  Merrill,  D.D. 


IRE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  13 

committee  be  appointed  to  provide  a  competent  teacher 
for  the  current  year,  at  a  salary  of  not  over  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  to  superintend  the  "arrangements  of  the 
school  till  next  Conference,  and  this  Conference  make 
up  so  much  of  the  salary  and  other  necessary  expenses 
of  the  school  as  shall  not  be  made  up  by  tuition  money 
or  otherwise."  Brodhead,  Pickering  and  Merritt  were 
chosen  a  committee  on  management,  and  the  above,  with 
J.  B.  White  and  D.  Fillmore  added,  a  committee  on 
teachers.  Moses  White,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of 
Vermont,  then  almost  our  only  liberally  educated  man, 
"a  gentleman  highly  esteemed  and  much  beloved  by  all 
who  knew  him,"  was  selected  as  instructor.  He  was  an 
accurate  scholar  as  well  as  a  faithful  teacher.  The  first 
to  begin  and  the  last  to  leave,  he  could  adopt  the  lan- 
guage of  Virgil :  '•  Quaeque  ipse  miserima  vidi,  et  quorum 
pars  magnet  fui"  "Never  be  his  name  forgotten," 
writes  one  who  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  his  thorough 
drill  and  exact  instruction.  Devoted  to  all  departments 
—  literature,  science,  elocution,  composition  —  he  was 
an  enthusiast  in  his  work.  "  He  was  a  born  and  accom- 
plished educator,  knowing  how  to  touch  and  mould  his 
various  material  into  forms  of  strength,  proportion  and 
beauty." 

The  building  was  completed  in  midsummer,  and  the 
school  opened  September  1,  1817,  with  ten  students. 
Of  this  number,  Charles  Lane,  of  Stratham,  who 
preserved  a  list  of  those  in  attendance  during  the  first 
term,  of  which,  in  the  absence  of  catalogues,  we  make 
use,  was  one.  From  his  paper,  yellow  with  age,  we  give 
the  other  names.  They  were,  John  M.  Brodhead,  Alfred 
Walker,  David  and  James  Chapman,  Betsy  Piper,  Edna 


14  HISTORY  OF 

Ela,  Eliza  Fowler,  Mariat  Pickering  and  Debora  Ben- 
nett —  five  of  each  sex,  none  of  whom  survive.  Others 
came  in  as  the  term  advanced.  The  above  list  gives 
seventeen;  viz.,  Augustus  Chapman,  Rhody  Young, 
Mary  A.  Hilton,  Susan  Burleigh,  John  Clark,  Edward 
T.  Taylor,  Spofford  Jewett, Fillmore,  Sally  Robin- 
son, John  Pickering,  F.  Chapman,  Daniel  D.  Brod- 
head,  Dolly  Ladd,  Joseph  Adams  and  John  and  Lydia 
Scammon,  none  of  whom,  so  far  as  we  know,  survive. 
As  preacher  at  the  Bethel,  the  name  of  Edward  T. 
Taylor  afterwards  became  a  household  word  in  New 
England. 

The  plan  of  education  adopted  by  the  Methodists 
departed,  in  some  particulars,  from  the  ideal  system  of 
New  England.  Co-education  was  in  the  first  draft. 
The  opposite  system,  followed  at  Exeter,  Andover, 
Mount  Holyoke  and  other  places,  contains  a  trace  of 
the  oriental  and  medieval  doctrine  of  the  inferiority  of 
woman.  The  Methodists  broke  with  the  past,  and  ele- 
vated woman  to  the  platform  of  advantage  accorded 
man  in  the  church  and  school.  The  work  for  woman 
by  John  Wesley  has  been  continued  in  the  schools  of 
Methodism.  In  this  respect,  the  first  foundation  at 
Newmarket  was  an  object  lesson.  In  the  privileges  and 
honors  of  the  institution,  woman  stood  beside  man, 
and  the  custom  so  happily  inaugurated  there  has  con- 
tinued in  most  of  our  academic  institutions,  and  is  fast 
making  way  in  our  colleges. 

Of  the  moral  and  religious,  as  well  as  the  intellectual 
instruction  of  the  pupils,  Mr.  White  was  extremely  care- 
ful. Regarding  himself  as  in  some  sense  in  the  place 
if  the  parent,  he  was  anxious  that  no  damage  should 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  15 

come  to  student  or  institution.  Then,  as  now,  intemper- 
ance was  prevalent ;  and,  in  the  absence  of  all  restric- 
tive laws,  he  set  his  face  against  the  approaches  of  the 
evil.  The  students  were  warned  of  the  danger,  and  so 
far  as  possible  kept  from  places  of  temptation. 

In  the  absence  of  a  boarding-house,  students  were 
taken  into  families  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per 
week, which  gave  to  the  school  a  homelike  aspect.  The 
arrangement  was  quite  agreeable  to  both  citizens  and 
students. 

The  exhibitions  at  the  close  of  the  academic  year 
were  occasions  of  great  interest  in  the  school  and  village. 
The  Conference  Committee  were  present  to  witness  the 
examinations  and  award  the  prizes.  The  exhibitions 
were  held  in  the  old  Parish  Church  with  its  lofty  spire, 
side  galleries  and  venerable  pulpit.  The  square  pews 
were  filled  with  interested  spectators;  from  the  large 
platform  erected  for  the  occasion,  the  young  Ciceros 
spoke  their  pieces,  taken  mostly  from  English  orators 
and  statesmen.  The  best  music  was  usually  secured  — 
brass  band,  drum,  fife,  flute,  clarionet,  and  French  horn, 
with  other  instruments.  The  house  was  usually  crowded 
and  great  enthusiasm  prevailed. 

The  small  expenses  of  the  school  at  the  opening  were 
met  by  tuition.  The  teaching  was  done  exclusively  by 
Moses  White  at  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars.  As 
already  stated,  he  was  a  man  of  all-work  and  always 
at  work.  The  care  of  the  institution  was  taken  upon 
his  heart.  The  love  of  his  pupils,  rather  than  the  salary, 
was  the  motive  under  which  he  worked.  With  such  a 
teacher,  the  outlook  of  the  school  at  the  close  of  the 
first  year  could  not  fail  to  be  encouraging.  "  At  its 


16  HISTORY  OF 

commencement,"  writes  Joseph  A.  Merrill,  "  the  school 
was  prosperous  and  its  patrons  were  encouraged.  There 
was  a  respectable  number  of  students,  and  it  appears 
that  things  went  satisfactorily  under  the  direction  of 
the  managers."  To  the  inexperienced  observer,  the 
real  difficulties  of  the  situation  had  not  yet  become 
apparent. 

APPENDIX. 

ORIGINAL  CONTRIBUTORS. 

To  the  Methodists  of  this  generation  it  may  be  inter- 
esting to  know  who  were  the  original  contributors  to  the 
building  of  Newmarket  Academy.  The  names  of  the 
contributors  and  the  sums  contributed  are  given  below 
from  the  subscription  book,  in  my  possession :  — 

George  Pickering $30.00 

Daniel  Fillmore 40.00 

John  Brodhead  .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .  55.00 

Martin  Ruter 80.00 

Philip  Munger 6.00 

Caleb  Dustin 12.00 

Reuben  Peaslee 20.00 

Charles  Virgin  .                18.00 

J.  B.  White 2.00 

G.  W.  Plummer 20.00 

Seth  Shakford 50.00 

Nathaniel  Paul 30.00 

Henry  Wiggin 30.00 

John  Kennard .        .  15.00 

Francis  Jennis 12. 00 

Hall  Jennis 5.00 

Benjamin  Mathews 10.00 

Amount  carried  forward.  $435.00 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 


17 


Amount  brought  forward. 


Nathaniel  Treadwell 


Total 


$435.00 
15.00 


Oliver  Neal 5.00 

Winthrop  Hilton 20.00 

Jeremiah  Meade 18.00 

Arthur  Barnwell 5.00 

Giles  Smart 3.00 

Nathaniel  Lord 30.00 

George  Kittridge 10.00 

Jonathan  Gage 20.00 

John  Smart 3.00 

Andrew  Hall      .        . 5.00 

Andrew  Gilman 5.00 

Joseph  Fernald 20.00 

JohnShute 20.00 

George  Bracket 3.00 

John  Fowler 15.00 

Daniel  Watson 30.00 

Eben.  Hilton 5.00 

John  H.  Shute 5.00 

James  Burleigh •    .        .  5.00 

James  Burleigh,  3d 7.00 

Samuel  Tarlton 3.00 

Eunice  Lane •  5.00 

James  Wiggin 5.00 

J.  B.  Barnwell    .  5.00 


$755.00 


By  this  it  appears  the  ministers  were  the  largest  con- 
tributors to  the  fund  for  building  our  first  seminary. 


18  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  INCORPORATION   OF  THE  ACADEMY. 

AT  first,  the  academy  property  at  Newmarket  was 
deeded  to  the  Conference  Committee.  After  con- 
sulting the  best  legal  authority,  it  was  deemed  advisa- 
ble to  secure  an  act  of  incorporation  under  a  local 
board  of  trustees.  The  Conference,  which  met  at  Hal- 
lowell,  Me.,  June  4,  1818,  approved  the  plan,  and 
furnished  a  draft  of  an  act  of  incorporation  and  a  body 
of  by-laws.  John  Brodhead  brought  the  matter  before 
the  New  Hampshire  Legislature,  and  secured  the  en- 
actment in  the  form  following,  viz. :  — 

STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

IN  THE  YEAR  OF  OUR  LORD  ONE  THOUSAND  EIGHT  HUNDRED 
AND  EIGHTEEN. 

[L.S].  An  Act  to  Incorporate  the  Trustees  of  the  Newmarket 
Wesleyan  Academy  in  Newmarket. 

Whereas,  public  institutions  for  the  education  of  youth,  in  the 
principles  of  virtue,  religious  knowledge  and  useful  literature  are 
of  the  first  importance,  and  the  surest  means  of  raising  up  citi- 
zens eminent  in  service,  and  to  be  ornaments  and  supports  of  their 
country,  therefore, 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  General  Court  assembled,  that  John  Brodhead, 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  19 

Daniel  Fillmore,  Amos  Binney,  Benjamin  Matthews,  Alfred  Met- 
calf,  John  Clarke,  Reuben  Peaselee,  John  Mudge,  Joseph  B. 
White,  and  their  successors  in  office,  who  shall  be  elected  as  here- 
inafter provided,  be  and  they  hereby  are  incorporated  and  con- 
stituted a  body  politic  and  corporate  forever  by  the  name  of 
Trustees  of  the  Newmarket  Wesleyan  Academy  ;  and  by  that 
name  may  sue  and  prosecute  and  be  sued  and  prosecuted  unto  final 
judgment  and  execution,  and  exercise  all  other  rights  and  privi- 
leges belonging  to  similar  corporations. 

2.  And  be  it  further  enacted  that,  in  case  of  death,  resignation, 
removal  or  refusal  to  serve,  of  any  of  the  Trustees,  then,  in  such 
case,  the  remaining  Trustees,  at  their  next  regular  meeting,  or  at 
a  special  meeting  appointed  for  the  purpose,  shall  proceed  to  fill 
up  the  vacancy,  in  such  way  and  manner  as  may  be  provided  by 
them  in  their  By -Laws,  in  order  to  keep  up  the  number  of  nine 
Trustees  forever ;  and  the  said  Trustees  shall  have  power  to  expel 
any  member  for  improper  conduct. 

3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  the   Trustees  shall   meet, 
af  least  once  in  each  year,  for  the  purpose  of  transacting  busi- 
ness,  and  as  much   oftener  as  may  be  found  necessary,  which 
meetings  shall  be  held  at  such  times  and   places  as  they  may 
appoint,  and  when  legally  assembled   a  majority,  that  is  to  say 
five,  shall  constitute  a  quorum,  and  any  smaller  number  shall  have 
power  to  adjourn  any  meeting  from  time  to  time  until  a  quorum 
can  be  constituted. 

4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  Trustees  shall  annually 
elect  by  ballot  from  their  own  number  a  President,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer;  the  Treasurer  to  give  security  to  the  acceptance 
of  said  Corporation  fop  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty,  and 
for  any  property  belonging  to  the  institution  that  may  be  Ipdged 
in  his  hands. 

5.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  Corporation  at  their  first 
meeting,  and  at  any  subsequent  meeting,  shall  have  authority  to 
make  such  by-laws,    rules  and  regulations   as  they  may  think 
proper  for  the  government  of  their  own  body,  and  filling  up 
vacancies  and  regulating  their  own  meetings;  and  also  for  th;- 
government  of  the  Academy  and  the  funds  belonging  to  it,  an 
may  at  all  times  cause  the  same  to  be  enforced,  annexing  penal- 
ties to  the  breach  thereof:  Provided  the  same  be  not  repugnar 
to  the  Constitution  and  Laws  of  the  State,  or  of  the  United  State.-- 

6.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  said  Corporation  be  and 


20  HISTORY  OF 

hereby  are  authorized  to  receive  and  hold  in  fee  simple,  or  other- 
wise, any  estate,  whether  real  or  personal,  or  mixed,  to  any 
amount  and  free  from  taxation,  proTided  that  the  annual  income 
shall  not  exceed  three  thousand  dollars; — Provided  also  that 
nothing  in  this  act  contained  shall  be  so  construed  as  to  exempt 
such  property  from  taxation,  when  the  same  shall  cease  to  belong 
to  said  Corporation,  or  when  such  property  shall  be  leased  out,  or 
demised  for  a  series  of  years,  reserving  to  said  Corporation  nomi- 
nal rents  only. 

7.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  John  Brodhead  and  Alfred 
Metcalf  be,  and  they  hereby  are,  authorized,  both  or  either  of 
them,  to  notify  the  first  meeting  of  the  said  Corporation  to  be  held 
in  the  Academy  building  in  Newmarket  aforesaid,  on  Wednesday, 
the  eighth  day  of  July  next,  or  such  other  day  as  they,  or  other  of 
them  shall  appoint  within  three  months  of  the  passage  of  this  Bill. 

STATE  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

In  the  House  of  Representatives,  June  22,  1818,  the  foregoing 
Bill,  having  had  three  several  readings,  passed  to  be  enacted. 

Sent  up  for  concurrence. 

MATTHEW  HARVEY,  Speaker. 

In  the  Senate,  June  23,  1818,  the  foregoing  Bill  was  read  a  third 
time  and  enacted. 

JONATHAN  HARVEY,  President. 

Same  day  by  the  Governor  approved. 

WILLIAM  PLUMER. 
A  true  copy. 

Attest:  SAMUEL  SPARHAWK,  Secretary. 

The  new  board  met  according  to  the  provisions  of 
the  charter,  July  10,  1818,  and  organized  by  the  choice 
of  Amos  Binney,  President;  Daniel  Fillmore,  Secretary  ; 
and  Alfred  Metcalf,  Treasurer.  The  act  of  incorpora- 
tion having  been  read,  was  accepted  and  ordered  to  be 
entered  upon  the  records  of  the  board. 

The  By-Laws,  prepared  by  the  Conference,  were  then 
read  and  adopted  as  follows:  — 

ARTICLE  1.  These  By-Laws,  rules  and  regulations,  and  such 
others  as  may  hereafter  be  made  and  receive  the  sanction  of  the 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  21 

New  England  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  for 
the  time  being  shall  be  binding  and  obligatory  on  the  Trustees  and 
officers  of  the  Academy,  and  shall  not  be  annulled,  suspended  or 
altered  at  any  time  without  the  consent  of  said  Conference,  certi- 
fied in  writing  by  their  President,  and  countersigned  by  their 
Secretary. 

2.  The  Trustees  shall  from  time  to  time  provide  a  principal 
teacher  to  take  charge  of  the  Academy  as  President  thereof,  and 
a  preceptor,  or  such  other  officer  or  officers,  to  teach  therein  as 
they  may  think  necessary,  and  prescribe  their  duties  and  emolu- 
ments; and  shall,  with  the  advice  of  the  principal  teacher,  ap- 
point a  course  of  studies  proper  to  be  pursued  at  the  Academy, 
and  make  such  laws  and  give  such  directions  for  the  regulation 
and  management  of  the  students,  in  their  moral  and  literary  pur- 
suits, as  they  may  judge  expedient. 

3.  The  Trustees  shall  make    a  report  annually  to  the  New 
England  Conference,  which  report  shall  be  sent  to  said  Confer- 
ence, from  time  to  time,  at  their  annual  sessions,  exhibiting  a 
correct  view  of  all  their  pecuniary  transactions,  the  state  of  the 
Academy,  the  teachers,  number  of  students,  studies,  progress  of 
the  funds,  receipts  and  expenditures. 

4.  The  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  shall  preserve  order 
in  their  meetings,  name  all  the  committees,  state  all  questions, 
declare  all  votes,  and,  in  case  of  a  tie,  shall  have  the  casting  vote. 
And  when  the  President  shall  be  absent  from  any  legal  meeting, 
the  Secretary,  for  the  time  being,  shall  preside,  until  a  President 
pro  tern  shall  be  appointed. 

5.  The  Secretary  shall  keep  a  fair  record  and  faithful  journal 
of  the  proceedings  of  the  Board,  notify  all  meetings  thereof  when 
directed  by  the  President,  or  any  three  members,  and  do  all  other 
duties  connected  with  his  office. 

6.  The  Treasurer  shall  hold  the  funds  of  the  Corporation,  that 
is  to  say,  the  papers  and  obligations  by  which  they  are  secured, 
keep  a  faithful  account  of  all  receipts  and  expenditures,  invest  all 
money  in  productive  stock,  or  at  interest,  and  settle  an  account 
with  the  Trustees  once  at  least  in  every  year,  and  oftener  if  re- 
quired.   He  shall  hold  the  seal  of  the  Corporation  and  affix  the 
same,  together  with  his  own  signature,  to  all  acts  and  deeds, 
when  thereto  directed  by  the  Board. 

7.  Whenever  any  vacancy,   or  vacancies,   shall  occur  in  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  either  by  death  or  otherwise,  it  shall  be  the 


22  HISTORY  OF 

duty  of  the  remaining  Trustees,  at  a  legal  meeting,  to  nominate 
double  the  number  wanted  to  till  up  the  said  Board,  and  to  make 
a  representation  of  such  nomination  in  writing  to  the  next  New 
England  Conference  assembled,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  then  and 
there  to  choose,  and  by  a  majority  of  votes  appoint  out  of  the 
number  so  nominated,  one  or  more  such  persons  to  fill  such 
vacancy  or  vacancies,  in  order  to  keep  up  the  number  of  nine 
Trustees  forever.  And  upon  any  such  choice  and  appointment,  a 
certificate  thereof  from  said  Conference,  signed  by  their  Presi- 
dent and  countersigned  by  their  Secretary,  shall  be  sent  to  the 
Trustees  of  the  Corporation,  containing  the  name  or  names  of  the 
person  or  persons  so  chosen  and  appointed,  provided  that  all 
Dominations  to  such  vacancies  in  the  Board  shall  be  made  from 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  or  upwards,  and  of  at  least  one  year's  standing  :  —  Provided 
nevertheless,  that  if  the  M.E.  Annual  Conference  shall,  at  any 
time,  neglect  to  act  in  the  choice  of  a  Trustee  or  Trustees,  as 
above  contemplated,  then  and  in  every  such  case,  the  Trustees 
shall,  at  their  next  meeting,  after  being  informed  of  such  neglect 
on  the  part  of  said  Conference,  proceed  to  fill  the  vacancy,  or 
vacancies,  in  the  usual  mode  of  balloting  for  such  candidates  as 
they  may  think  proper,  and  of  the  number  already  nominated; 
whereupon  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  shall  notify  said  Trustee 
or  Trustees,  so  nominated  and  appointed,  and  request  his  or  their 
attendance  at  the  meetings  of  the  Board. 

8.  Whenever  and  as  soon  as  the  funds  of  said  Academy,  to- 
gether with  the  monies  arising  from  tuition,  shall  become  sufficient 
to  defray   its  necessary  current    expenses  and  have  an  annual 
surplus,  such  surplus  shall  be  applied  to  the  purpose  of  educating 
the  sons  of  travelling  preachers  belonging  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church ,  and,  in  all  such  cases,  the  New  England  Confer- 
ence, or  a  committee  appointed  by  them,  shall  have  the  preroga- 
tive of  selecting  the  candidates.    And  after  said  selection,  should 
there  still  be  provision  for  more,  the  Conference,  or  their  com- 
mittee, shall  have  the  right  of  selecting  such  others  to  the  same 
privilege,  as  they  may  judge  most  likely  to  make  good  improve- 
ment and  be  useful  to  the  churches,  giving  the  preference  in  all 
cases  to  such  as  are  best  able  to  help  themselves. 

9.  The  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  or  any  three  mem- 
bers, shall  have  power  to  call  a  special  meeting  of  said  Trustees, 
whenever  he  or  they  shall  judge  it  necessary;  Provided,  that,  in 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  23 

all  such  cases,  the  place  of  meeting  shall  be  either  the  Academy 
building,  or  some  other  eligible  place  within  the  town  of  New- 
market; and  Provided  also,  that  in  such  appointments,  and  like- 
wise in  case  of  regular  meetings,  each  Trustee  belonging  to  the 
Board  shall  have  written  notice  sent  him  from  the  Secretary. 

The  following  Plan  of  Instruction  was  adopted  at 
the  same  meeting :  — 

1.  The  first  class  shall  embrace  reading,  writing,  arithmetic 
and  English  grammar. 

2.  The  second  class  shall  embrace  geography  and  astronomy. 

3.  The  third  class  the  Latin,  Greek  and  French  languages. 

4.  Mathematics  and  the  rudiments  of  natural  philosophy. 

5.  The  Hebrew  and  the  Chaldee  of  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
Greek  of  the  New. 

6.  Divinity,  together  with  logic,  rhetoric  and  moral  philosophy. 

For  the  government  of  the  students,  the  trustees 
adopted  sixteen  brief  and  excellent  rules.  They  be- 
longed to  an  age  which  had  faith  in  rules.  We  have 
come  more  fully  to  find  the  influential  rule  incarnate 
in  the  teacher ;  the  life  rather  than  the  ritual  is  impor- 
tant in  shaping  the  character  of  the  student.  As  a 
part  of  the  curious  record  of  our  first  things  in  edu- 
cation, the  rules  are  here  inserted :  — 

1.  No  student  shall  be  admitted  for  a  shorter  term  than  one 
quarter. 

2.  No  one  shall  be  admitted  as  a  student  who  cannot  read  and 
spell  correctly. 

3.  Every  student,  while  in  the  Academy,  shall  be  as  silent  as 
the  nature  of  his  studies  will  admit. 

4.  No  student  shall  speak  to  another,  or  leave  his  seat  without 
liberty  from  one  of  the  instructors. 

5.  Every  one  shall  take  his  seat  as  soon  as  the  tolling  of  the 
bell  ceases. 

6.  No  scholar  shall  go  home  before  the  hour  of  dismission,  or 
tarry  when  out  longer  than  is  absolutely  necessary. 


24  HISTORY  Of 

7.  Scuffling,  wrestling,  and  every  other  kind  of  sport  within  the 
Academy,  during  intermission,  is  strictly  forbidden. 

8.  Diligent  application  to  study,  not  only  during  school  hours 
but  also  in  the  morning  and  evening,  is  strictly  enjoined  upon 
each  student. 

9.  It  is  strictly  enjoined  upon  each  one  belonging  to  the  Acad- 
emy to  avoid  profane  language  and  every  species  of  immoral  con- 
duct; and  also  to  avoid  doing  damage  to  any  in  the  neighborhood, 
such  as  breaking  glass,  walking  through  fields,  or  anything  that 
would  be  a  just  cause  of  offense. 

10.  It  is  required  of  students  that  they  constantly  attend  public 
worship  on  the  Sabbath,  and  that  they  spend  the  day  in  a  serious 
and  becoming  manner.    It  is  strictly  required  of  students  to  avoid 
going  into  the  water  on  any  day  but  Saturday. 

11.  The  purchasing  of  spirituous  liquors  at  any  store,  tavern,  or 
other  place  is  strictly  forbidden. 

,  12.  The  expense  of  repairing  damages  done  the  Academy  by 
students  shall  be  iefrayed  by  those  who  are  immediately  con- 
cerned in  doing  the  damage. 

13.  No  student  is  permitted  to  be  absent  from  his  lodgings 
after  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

14.  The  price  of  tuition  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  until  other- 
wise ordered  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  shall  be  three  dollars  per 
quarter,  exclusive  of  wood,  which  shall  not  be  charged  at  more 
than  forty  cents  for  the  two  winter  quarters. 

15.  Any  student  violating  any  of  the  preceding  rules  shall  be 
liable  to  a  fine  of  not  less  than  twenty-five  cents,  nor  more  than 
one  dollar,  for  any  one  offense,  to  be  assessed  at  the  discretion  of 
the  teacher  or  teachers. 

16.  Any  three  of  the  Trustees  shall  have  power,  on  the  applica- 
tion of  the  teachers,  to  expel  any  student  for  improper  conduct. 

In  the  above  record,  the  Conference  is  the  conspicu- 
ous body.  The  Conference  founded  the  school,  and, 
for  a  time,  retained  the  direct  management.  In  passing 
the  institution  over  to  trustees,  the  Conference  re- 
served important  rights,  such  as  those  of  electing  trus- 
tees and  making  rules  for  the  government  of  the  board 
and  the  Academy.  The  fear  was  of  those  undevout 


WESLITAN  ACADEMY.  25 

instructors  and  objectionable  methods  which  had  ob- 
tained in  some  other  schools.  They  believed  in  piety 
and  devotion,  and  attempted  to  guard  these  precious 
interests  by  statute.  As  the  work  of  education  ad- 
vanced in  the  denomination,  the  leaders  learned  better 
the  lesson  of  trust  in  our  educational  forces. 


26  HISTORY  OP 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  THE  REV.  MARTIN  RUTER,  A.M. 

THE  incorporation  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  forms 
a  turning  point  in  the  history  of  the  Wesleyan 
Academy.  The  board  took  the  place  of  the  Confer- 
ence in  practical  management.  Lay  talent  was  brought 
into  requisition.  The  men  of  larger  views  and  wider 
experience,  who  now  became  interested  in  the  institu- 
tion, inspired  in  its  friends  fresh  hope  and  courage. 
It  was  at  once  determined  to  strengthen  the  board  of 
instruction.  Retaining  the  services  of  Moses  White, 
as  "  preceptor,"  at  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars  the 
Rev.  Martin  Ruter,  A.M.,  was  elected  principal  at  a 
salary  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

Ruter  at  once  became  the  controlling  spirit  in  the 
institution.  The  trustees  believed  in  him,  as  one  of 
the  foremost  and  best-educated  men  in  the  denomina- 
tion. The  Conference  trusted  his  intelligence,  practi- 
cal wisdom  and  devotion  to  the  interests  of  experimental 
religion.  In  the  Methodist  public  at  large  high  hopes 
were  inspired  by  his  coming  to  the  headship  of  the 
institution.  Above  all,  Ruter  believed  in  himself,  and 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  27 

moved  out  on  various  lines  with  the  complete  assurance 
of  success. 

Martin  Ruter  was  born  in  Charlton,  Mass.,  on  the 
borders  of  Sutton,  April  3,  1785,  and  died  in  Texas, 
whither  he  had  gone  as  a  missionary,  May  16, 1838.  In 
1793,  his  father,  Job  Ruter,  removed  to  Corinth,  Vt., 
and  became  connected  with  the  Methodists.  In  1799, 
Martin  was  converted,  and  joined  the  church  and 
became  very  active  as  a  leader,  exhorter  and  local 
preacher.  Impressed  with  his  fervor  and  natural  abil- 
ity, John  Brodhead,  the  presiding  elder,  invited  the 
fifteen-year-old  boy  to  accompany  him  on  the  district. 
The  father  hesitated ;  but  the  mind  of  the  young  man 
was  settled  by  opening  to  the  passage :  "  The  Master 
is  come,  and  calleth  for  thee."  His  mother,  at  the 
same  time,  found  relief  in  this  other  passage :  "  Loose 
him,  and  let  him  go." 

Dr.  Ruter's  pastoral  record  was  extended  and  bril- 
liant. Beginning  at  Wethersfield,  Vt.,  it  extended  on 
to  Chesterfield,  Landaff,  North  Adams,  Bridgewater, 
Northfield,  Portsmouth  and  Boston.  In  1809  and  1810 
he  was  Presiding  Elder  of  the  New  Hampshire  District. 
In  1811  he  was  stationed  in  Portland.  Located  in  1812, 
he  was  readmitted  in  1815  and  stationed  in  Yarmouth, 
Me.  He  passed  thence  to  Salisbury  and  to  St.  George's 
in  Philadelphia.  In  1820  he  was  chosen  Book  Agent  at 
Cincinnati  and  reflected  in  1824.  From  1828  to  1832 
he  was  president  of  Augusta  College.  The  next  two 
years  he  was  pastor  in  Pittsburgh.  In  1834  he  was 
chosen  president  of  Alleghany  College,'  where  he  con- 
tinued until  he  took  charge  of  the  mission  in  Texas. 

Ruter  was  distinguished  for  intensity  and  adaptation, 


28  HISTORY  OF 

rather  than  for  extraordinary  grasp  or  strength  of  natu- 
ral powers.  His  soul  burned  with  an  intense  glow, 
and  fused  the  mass  about  him.  Above  most  men,  he 
threw  his  soul  into  his  work.  Nothing  was  done  at 
halves.  The  students  were  impressed  and  moved  by 
his  earnestness.  Besides,  he  was  the  man  of  the  hour, 
ever  riding  upon  the  crest  of  the  wave.  In  nothing 
was  he  second  man.  Though  advancing  at  the  head, 
he  never  became  separated  from  the  column. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  clear,  forcible  and  eloquent, 
excelling  in  subdued  pathos,  and  rich  in  evangelical 
sentiment.  He  never  failed  to  draw  crowds;  and  those 
who  heard  were  enraptured.  Says  one  who  often  heard 
him :  "  He  was  serene  and  calm  as  the  murmurings  of 
some  sweet  rivulet  in  the  gardens  of  beauty,  or  as 
when  soft  summer  breezes  play  over  sunny  seas."*  "In 
the  pulpit,  he  was  solid,  grave,  warm  and  dignified, 
generally  listened  to  with  pleasure,  always  with  profit."-)- 

In  evangelistic  work,  he  excelled  most  of  his  breth- 
ren. The  love  of  God  and  men  constrained  him.  Had 
he  been  a  few  years  younger  he  would  have  captured 
the  great  Southwest. 

Though  a  self-made  man,  Ruter  became  an  earnest 
and  extensive  scholar  in  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin  and 
Syriac,  as  well  as  in  history,  literature  and  science.  In 
advance  of  most  of  his  associates  in  education,  he  did 
much  to  inspire  in  his  younger  brethren  a  love  of  learn- 
ing. He  gave  Durbin  a  Hebrew  and  Greek  grammar, 
and  urged  him  to  undertake  a  college  course.  In  the 
church  at  large  also,  he  did  not  a  little  to  awaken  an 
interest  in  education.  Students  came  to  him  from  the 


•Rev.  Charles  Adams,  D.D.    tMinutes. 


THE   WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  29 

Middle  States  and  Canada  as  well  as  from  the  remoter 
parts  of  New  England. 

At  Newmarket,  he  sought  to  realize  some  of  the 
large  views  teeming  in  his  brain.  He  enlarged  the 
course  of  study.  He  already  saw  the  educational 
system  which  was  to  include  university,  college  and 
academy.  Several  of  his  attempts  afford  interesting 
illustrations  of  the  character  and  aspirations  of  the 
man,  so  desirous  of  reaching  out  on  all  sides,  in  the  fields 
of  knowledge.  The  publication  of  a  magazine,  The 
New  England  Literary  Intelligencer  and  General 
Review,  was  actually  undertaken ;  but  the  first  number 
was  so  poorly  printed  that  the  parties  refused  to  pro- 
ceed further.  Had  finances  been  more  abundant  the 
magazine  might  have  become  a  success. 

The  success  at  Newmarket  awakened  an  interest  in 
education  in  the  surrounding  towns,  some  of  which 
aspired  to  found  similar  institutions.  Under  the  inspira- 
tion of  Ruter,  a  branch  academy  was  actually  estab- 
lished at  old  Kingston,  about  ten  miles  away.  The  local 
mover  in  the  matter  was  Dr.  Bartlett,  who  induced  the 
citizens  to  furnish  a  building,  more  ample  and  conven- 
ient than  the  one  at  Newmarket,  and  secured  a  pledge 
from  the  Newmarket  trustees  to  provide  an  instructor. 
The  Kingston  Academy  was  incorporated  June  22, 1819. 
The  Rev.  John  E.  Cohgdon,  the  first  principal,  was 
an  Irishman  and  a  graduate  of  Dublin  University. 
Although  a  fine  scholar,  he  lacked  the  rugged  sense 
and  knowledge  of  men  indispensable  to  success  as  a 
teacher.  Disappointed  and  depressed  at  his  want  of 
success,  the  poor  man  afterwards  resorted  to  the  use  of 
strong  drink.  Lewis  Foster,  a  superior  scholar  and 


30  HISTORY  OF 

Christian  gentleman,  followed  him  with  great  success. 
He  had  a  fine  person,  head  arid  eye,  was  of  light  com- 
plexion, finely  cut  features,  dark  hair  and  modest  aspect.* 
At  the  close  of  his  service  at  Kingston,  he  returned  to 
his  home  in  Springfield,  and  was  later  connected  with 
the  scientific  department  at  Wesleyan  University.  He 
died  early. 

But  the  bright  anticipations  of  Dr.  Ruter  and  the 
trustees,  at  the  opening  in  Kingston,  were  never 
realized.  The  branch  Academy  proved  to  be  an  ele- 
phant on  their  hands.  The  income  was  never  equal  to 
the  expenditures.  Of  course,  they  longed  to  be  rid  of 
the  burden,  and  arrangements  were  soon  made  for  a 
settlement  by  the  re-transfer  of  the  property  to  the 
citizens  of  Kingston.  The  quit-claim  deed  was  dated 
October  29, 1822.  Thus  closed  a  costly  and  troublesome 
experiment,  leaving  to  the  friends  of  the  old  institution 
only  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  lesson  of 
caution  and  prudence.  The  castle,  whose  spires  and 
turrets  had  glittered  in  the  distance,  dissolved  in  thin 
air. 

The  desire  for  enlargement  abroad  did  not,  however, 
prevent  careful  attention  to  duties  at  home.  Ruter 
cared  for  every  interest  of  the  school.  Attentive  to 
supervision  and  teaching,  his  enthusiasm  and  activity 
lent  animation  to  the  pupils.  The  Academy  was  a 
hive  of  industry.  The  example  of  the  principal  proved 
an  inspiration  to  all  those  associated  with  him,  either  in 
the  classes  or  the  board  of  instruction  Upon  the 
young  men  preparing  for  the  ministry,  especially,  was 
his  influence  salutary  and  lasting. 

*Kev.  J.  W.  Merrill,  D.D. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  31 

The  library,  afterwards  transferred  to  Wilbraham, 
was  founded  by  Ruter.  Many  of  the  first  books  were 
secured  among  his  friends  in  New  York,  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore.  For  the  period,  the  collection  was 
valuable  and  was  widely  read  by  the  students. 

To  the  moral  and  religious  training  of  the  pupils,  the 
new  management  gave  constant  attention.  The  schools 
of  the  time  were  not  noted  for  religious  devotion,  and 
if  there  was  any  one  thing  the  Methodists  then  dreaded, 
it  was  a  Godless  school.  The  problem  at  Newmarket 
was  how  to  make  learning  devout.  The  Trustees 
directed  "  the  instructors  of  the  Academy  to  pay  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  moral  character  of  the  students, 
give  them  strict  and  careful  instructions  on  the  subject, 
and  make  inquiry  at  their  boarding  houses,  from  time 
to  time,  in  order  to  be  informed  of  any  irregularity  or 
deficiency  that  may  exist  in  any  of  them."  The  teachers 
did  all  possible  to  carry  out  this  demand.  At  New- 
market, as  elsewhere,  the  drink  custom  prevailed.  The 
age  of  temperance  reform,  in  its  organized  aspect,  had 
not  come ;  but  the  managers  of  the  Academy  were 
themselves  a  temperance  association.  They  not  only 
warned  the  students  of  the  evils  of  the  drink  habit : 
they  forbade  them  the  privilege  of  boarding  in  families 
where  the  practice  was  in  any  measure  indulged. 

The  care  of  the  instructors  was  seen,  also,  in  other 
directions.  They  were  jealous  of  theatrical  exhibitions, 
and  desirous  of  excluding  tragedies  and  comedies  from 
the  closing  exhibitions.  In  spite  of  their  benevolent 
concern,  however,  this  dreaded  feature  was  sure  to 
reappear  on  each  anniversary.  The  regulation  of  the 
social  intercourse  of  the  sexes,  too,  was  a  perplexing 


32  HISTORY  OF 

question  in  a  mixed  school.  The  managers  often  for- 
got that  the  pupils  were  children  rather  than  sober 
men  and  matrons,  and  that  some  tact  and  good  sense 
were  necessary  in  treating  so  delicate  a  matter,  where 
the  law  of  sympathy  and  affinity  is  in  full  operation. 
After  some  valuable  experience  in  this  matter,  the 
teachers,  to  their  great  relief,  handed  this  part  of  the 
school  discipline  over  to  the  trustees,  whose  deliverance 
on  the  subject  ought  to  have  been  patented.  So  ven- 
erable a  document  will  bear  quotation  :  "  Whereas  the 
object  of  sending  young  people  to  academies  is  to  give 
them  a  refined  education  and  accomplishments  in  the 
rules  of  propriety; — and  whereas  many  of  them  while 
thus  prosecuting  their  studies  are  far  from  their  parents 
and  out  of  the  reach  of  their  advice ;  therefore  the 
Trustees  of  this  Academy  have  judged  it  necessary 
and  proper  strictly  to  forbid  courtships  among  young 
gentlemen  and  ladies  while  here,  or  their  keeping 
company  together  in  the  evening.  And  they  hereby 
require  the  instructors  to  give  information  that  the 
students  violating  this  rule  will  not  be  permitted  to 
remain  as  students  in  the  Academy." 

The  religious  condition  of  the  seminary,  during 
Ruter's  stay,  was  very  encouraging.  Many  of  the 
students  were  members  of  the  church,  and  those  who 
were  not  were  constantly  solicited  to  begin  a  religious 
life.  Many  were  converted,  and  the  faith  of  believers 
was  strengthened.  The  students  were  constant  in  their 
attendance,  not  only  on  the  regular  means  of  grace,  but 
also  on  special  services  among  themselves.  "It  was  a 
thing  to  be  noted  in  connection  with  the  Wesleyan 
Academy  at  Newmarket  and  at  Wilbraham,"  writes 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  S3 

one  who  studied  at  both  places,  "  that  ever  and  anon 
God  was  pleased  to  pour  out  His  Holy  Spirit  upon  the 
school,  thereby  showing  His  favor  upon  the  faithful 
efforts  of  the  preachers  and  licentiates  who  labored  and 
prayed  for  a  revival  among  the  students.  Sometimes 
the  work  would  extend  into  the  village,  and  the  young 
especially  would  become  interested  in  their  own  salva- 
tion. Of  the  many  converted  during  these  awakenings, 
several  became  preachers  of  the  Gospel."*  During  his 
first  year,  Ruter  wrote  exultingly  of  the  religious 
work :  "  The  Academy  prospers  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  poured  upon  us.  Many  of  the  students  are  awakened 
and  converted  to  God.  Saints  rejoice  and  are  panting 
for  full  redemption ;  some  are  sanctified.  Oh  that  you 
were  here  to  rejoice  with  us !  I  understand  that  God 
is  with  you,  that  He  is  doing  great  things  in  the  region 
where  you  are  laboring.  Glory  !  Glory  !  Glory !  God 
grant  that  genuine  piety  may  keep  pace  with  learning 
among  the  Methodists."  f 

In  the  religious  as  well  as  the  literary  work,  the 
principal  was  aided  by  Moses  White,  a  devout,  though 
diffident  man,  who  seldom  took  part  in  public  services; 
but  "his  daily  prayers  with  the  students  at  the  Academy 
were  so  full  of  the  deepest  feeling  before  God  as  to 
impress  even  the  most  thoughtless  that  he  feared  God 
and  daily  walked  with  Him."  J 

The  election  of  Dr.  Ruter  to  the  Book  Agency  in  1820 
removed  an  important  man  from  Newmarket.  He  had 
drawn  the  attention  of  the  church  to  the  Academy  and 
to  the  problem  of  higher  education.  He  had  sought  to 

*  J.  W.  Merrill,  D.D.     "  My  Schools  and  Schoolmates." 
t  Rev.  J.  A.  Merrill.  Ms.  History,  etc. 
t  Rev.  J.  W.  Merrill,  D.D.,  Ms.  Letter. 


34  HISTORY  OF 

enlarge  the  sphere  of  operations.  Though  at  consider- 
able additional  expense,  he  had  enlarged  the  attendance 
of  pupils.  More  than  any  other  man  of  the  time,  he 
had  communicated  something  of  his  own  enthusiasm  to 
the  institution  over  which  he  had  been  called  to  preside. 
Many  of  the  best  things  can  be  said  of  Ruter ;  and  yet 
it  must  be  considered  that  he  was  not  the  ideal  educa- 
tor. As  a  self-educated  man  with  wide  reading  and 
study,  he  lacked  the  rigid  accuracy  and  attention  to 
minute  matters,  which  can  come  only  from  the  drill  of 
the  schools  with  its  friction  of  mind  with  mind.  The 
ideal  teacher  for  the  Methodists  was  yet  to  come  from 
the  admirable  schools  of  New  England. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  35 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  MOSES   WHITE,  A.M. 

THE  departure  of  Dr.  Ruter  marks  an  unfavorable 
turn  in  the  tide  of  prosperity  at  the  Newmarket 
Academy.  The  turn,  indeed,  though  delayed  by  the 
activity  and  courage  of  that  remarkable  man,  was  inev- 
itable. Defeat  was  bound  up  in  the  project  itself.  It 
was  an  attempt  to  build  without  the  means  to  finish. 
The  resignation  of  Ruter  simply  rendered  visible  what 
ought  to  have  been  clear  to  experienced  school  mana- 
gers from  the  beginning. 

The  change  brought  to  the  front  again  that  admir- 
able man  and  tireless  worker  in  the  cause  of  education? 
Moses  White,  who  struggled  with  the  ugly  problem  to 
the  last,  without  being  able  satisfactorily  to  solve  it. 
To  attain  this  high  end,  the  trustees  asked  the  coopera- 
tion of  Wilbur  Fisk,  a  promising  young  man  then  fresh 
from  Brown  University,  in  raising  money.  They  also 
offered  him  the  headship.  Mr.  Fisk  declined  to  pledge 
his  services  on  the  ground  that  the  bad  location  ren- 
dered ultimate  success  very  improbable.  He  was  one 
of  many  who  had  come  to  entertain  the  opinion  "thai 
the  removal  of  the  institution  was  indispensable  to  its 


36  HISTORY  OF 

life  and  salvation."  *  The  sentiment  of  the  Conference 
in  the  matter  had  so  far  changed  that  they  refused  to 
designate  an  effective  man  for  the  work. 

The  core  of  the  difficulty  was  ths  financial  situation. 
The  people  of  Rochester  offered  relief  in  a  subscription 
of  $1,250,  on  condition  of  the  removal  of  the  Academy 
to  that  place.  After  due  consideration,  the  trustees 
declined  to  accept  the  offer.  At  the  same  time,  Rev. 
Joseph  A.  Merrill  was  invited  to  establish  societies 
wherever  possible,  "  to  raise  funds  to  support  a  female 
department  in  the  Academy,  and  also  to  increase  the 
funds  of  the  institution."  This  too  failed.  At  the  final 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  May  14,  1823,  the 
financial  affairs  of  the  institution  had  reached  a  crisis. 
The  treasury  had  steadily  run  behind  until  a  deficit  of 
$821.80  stared  them  in  the  face.  The  ensuing  year 
would  add  two  or  three  hundred  dollars  more  to  the 
amount.  To  go  forward  without  further  provision  to 
pay  would  be  ruinous;  to  stop  short  would  be  humiliat- 
ing. As  always,  the  trustees  assumed  the  attitude  of 
courage  and  determined  to  keep  the  school  in  operation. 
The  salary  of  Moses  White  was  continued  at  $500,  and 
an  appeal  was  again  made  to  the  Conference  for  aid. 
The  Conference  held  that  removal  must  precede  any  aid. 
The  words  of  Fisk  from  the  floor  carried  conviction  to 
the  whole  body  ;  and  at  the  close  of  his  speech,  Fisk 
and  Hedding  were  appointed  a  committee  to  remonstrate 
with  the  trustees.  The  arguments  which  had  carried 
the  Conference  proved  efficacious  with  the  Board  of 
Trustees.  In  a  special  meeting,  December  30, 1823,  they 
changed  base  by  passing  the  following  resolutions:  — 


*  Rev.  J.  A.  Merrill,  Ms.  History. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  37 

"  WHEREAS,  The  academy  under  our  supervision  has  not  met 
that  encouragement  which  we  were  induced  to  expect,  and  from 
causes  which  we  cannot  explain  the  number  of  students  having 
been  less  than  twenty  during  the  last  two  terms,  and  there  beinuc 
no  prospect  of  an  increased  patronage  from  our  friends  within  the 
bounds  of  the  New  England  Conference;  therefore, 

(1.)  Voted,  That  we  suspend  our  operations  for  the  present.  (2.) 
That  Benjamin  Mathews,  John  Brodhead  and  Alfred  Metcalf,  or 
Aany  two  of  them,  be  a  committee  to  setttle  the  accounts  of  Mr. 
White  for  his  salary  as  preceptor  since  May,  and  all  other  accounts 
n  favor  or  against  the  corporation,  and  from  the  existing  funds  or 
real  estate  to  be  sold  by  them,  make  payment  of  all  demands  as  soon 
as  possible.  (3.)  That  John  Brodhead  be  a  committee  to  take 
charge  of  all  the  papers,  library  and  other  movable  property 
belonging  to  the  Academy.  (4.)  That  whenever  as  soon  as  the 
New  England  Conference  shall  have  located  and  established  an 
academy  or  seminary  of  literature  within  the  bounds  of  the  con- 
ference, that  as  soon  thereafter  as  may  be  possible,  this  Board 
will  relinquish  to  said  Conference  aL  the  remaining  funds,  library 
and  other  movable  property  to  be  appropriated  to  the  support  of 
said  institution  under  the  direction  of  the  Trustees." 

At  a  special  meeting,  September  9,  1824,  the  Board 
find  they  are  indebted  to  Moses  White  $-900 ;  to  Miss 
Smith  $23  ;  and  to  others  $136.  They  accept  an  offer  of 
84,000  for  the  real  estate  at  Newmarket  and  authorize 
8400  of  the  proceeds  to  be  applied  on  the  debt  to 
Moses  White.  On  the  second  of  June,  1826,  a  special 
meeting  was  held  in  Boston  to  close  up  the  affairs  of  the 
institution  and  to  transfer  the  property  to  the  Trustees 
at  Wilbraham.  They  vote:  "That  Benjamin  Mathews, 
Esq.,  the  Treasurer  of  this  Board,  be  and  hereby  is 
authorized  and  requested  to  transfer,  assign  and  pay 
over  and  deliver  to  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraham,  Mass., 
all  the  personal  property  and  evidences  of  property  of 
every  kind,  name  and  description,  now  in  his  possession 


38  HISTORY  OF 

and  take  receipts  therefor,  on  condition  that  said  trus- 
tees, or  their  duly  authorized  officer  or  agent,  shall  first 
pay  or  assume  to  pay  and  guarantee  the  payment  of  the 
following  debts,  claims  and  demands  now  existing 
against  the  Trustees  of  the  Newmarket  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy." 

The  assets  of  the  Academy,  consisting  of  notes, 
globes,  charts  and  a  donation  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  New  Hampshire,  by  Joseph 

A.  Merrill,    amounted    to     $1,784.41.       The     liabili- 
ties    of    the     old     Board     to   be    met    by   the    new 
were   $749,   leaving  a  net   balance  for  Wilbraham   of 
$1,035.41.     The  tender  of  the  property  was  made  the 
same  day  in  these  words :     "  We,  the  Trustees  of  the 
Wesleyan   Academy  at   Newmarket,  hereby  tender  to 
the  Trustees  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraham,  the 
foregoing  notes  on  the  sole  condition  that  they  assume 
and  pay  the  debts  now  due  from  us  to  Mr.  White  and 

B.  Mathews  as  aforestated."     The  paper  was  signed  by 
John    Clark,   Amos    Binney,    Benjamin   Mathews,  Sr., 
John  Brodhead  and  Benjamin  Mathews,  Jr.,  Joseph  A. 
Merrill  and  Daniel  Fillmore,  being  absent,  acquiesce  in 
writing. 

Thus  ends  the  record  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Newmar- 
ket Wesleyan  Academy  —  a  record  marked  by  struggles 
and  reverses,  but  one,  at  the  same  time,  honorable  to 
all  the  parties  involved  in  the  enterprise.  If  the  condi- 
tions of  the  problem  made  ultimate  success  impossible, 
a  noble  attempt  had  been  made,  which  was  not  without 
important  influence  on  the  larger  movement  to  organize 
educational  institutions  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  It  set  the  ball  in  motion.  The  mistakes  there 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  39 

stood  as  beacons  of  warning  to  those  coming  after.  In 
founding  this  little  school,  the  friends  of  education  were 
undertaking  the  impossible.  Failure  was  at  the  root. 
The  decline  really  began  the  day  the  foundation  was 
laid.  Hence  the  causes  of  the  decline  and  fall  are  not 
far  to  seek. 

The  church  in  New  England  was  too  small  to  sustain 
a  literary  institution.  The  total  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  in  1817,  was  only  224,853 ;  and  of 
these  only  14,145  were  in  New  England,  scattered  from 
the  Green  Hills  to  the  Atlantic,  and  from  Canada  to 
Long  Island  Sound.  On  the  seaboard  the  churches 
were  few,  and  scattered  from  Providence  to  Maine. 
The  Academy  was  built  on  this  littoral  shoe-string. 
And,  of  the  new  people  gathered  by  the  Methodists, 
few  possessed  means  adequate  to  develop  a  literary 
institution.  In  the  sense  of  to-day,  there  were  no 
wealthy  men  in  the  community.  Colonel  Binney  and 
John  Mudge  led  the  column  with  us,  and  their  store  was 
not  large.  The  patronizing  territory  was  too  narrow. 
Connecticut  and  Vermont,  the  most  populous  Metho- 
dist sections  at  the  time  in  New  England,  were  too  far 
away  to  furnish  students,  or  to  feel  a  deep  interest  in 
the  Academy.  In  the  strip  along  the  seaboard,  on 
which  the  institution  must  depend,  there  were  hardly 
more  than  two  thousand  Methodists.  In  view  of  this 
fact,  the  wonder  is  not  that  the  Academy  failed,  but 
rather  how  it  was  able  to  begin.  It  was  a  happy  spasm 
of  Methodist  sentiment,  which  has  exerted  an  enduring 
as  well  as  happy  influence  on  the  denomination. 

There  was  another  difficulty  in  the  matter.  New- 
market fell  within  the  educational  circle,  where  were 


40  HISTORY  Of 

found  the  great  schools  of  New  England — Harvard 
College,  Andover,  and,  within  four  miles  of  Newmarket, 
the  great  Academy  at  Exeter.  For  a  tentative  institu- 
tion, established  by  a  small  denomination,  the  compe- 
tition was  quite  too  severe.  It  was  the  untrained  com- 
batant measuring  his  strength  and  skill  with  the 
athlete.  However  earnest  the  contest,  the  palm  was 
sure  to  be  borne  off  by  those  having  the  advantages  of 
age,  experience  and  resources. 

Moreover,  the  Methodist  Church,  at  the  time,  had  no 
masters  in  education  to  lead  the  column.  The  gradu- 
ates among  us  could  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one 
hand.  Whatever  training  our  men  had,  had  been  for 
the  pulpit;  they  were  preachers  rather  than  educators. 
Ruter,  though  a  man  of  ability,  of  wide  influence  and 
scholarly  enthusiasm,  was  an  orator  rather  than  a 
teacher.  On  the  other  hand,  Moses  White  and  Henry 
Bulfinch,  though  accurate  scholars  and  admirable  in- 
structors, never  rose  to  controlling  influence  in  the 
church.  The  man  was  not  yet  available  who  combined 
in  himself  large  influence,  the  gift  of  speech,  and  the 
cunning  of  the  educator ;  and  without  the  aid  of  his 
talents,  success  in  any  such  new  enterprise,  especially 
in  a  field  already  preoccupied,  would  be  impossible. 
The  man  to  succeed  must  know  how  to  teach  and 
organize ;  he  must,  at  the  same  time,  have  power  with 
the  public,  on  which  the  institution  is  dependent  for 
patronage  and  support.  Newmarket  was  without  these 
advantages.  On  the  departure  of  Ruter,  all  enthu- 
siasm died  out.  Even  the  better  teachers  than  he, 
left  behind,  had  no  power  to  touch  and  rouse  the 
public,  or  to  enlist  the  sympathy  and  support  of 


THE    WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  41 

the  preachers.     As  a  result,  the  school  declined  to  a 
handful  of  students. 

But,  though  a  failure,  the  Academy  at  Newmarket 
was  a  great  success.  It  was  a  good  school,  helpful  to 
many  families  who  availed  themselves  of  its  advan- 
tages. The  locality  was  benefited.  It  trained  three 
or  four  hundred  students,  a  large  number  of  whom 
came  to  occupy  influential  positions  in  society.  Per- 
haps no  school  of  its  size  ever  furnished  so  many,  in  the 
first  half  dozen  years  of  its  existence,  who  became 
useful  and  conspicuous  citizens.  But  this  was  the 
smallest  part  of  its  service.  The  indirect  was  vastly 
greater  and  more  salutary  than  the  direct  influence. 
It  was  a  revealer,  as  well  as  a  stimulus  to  the  educa- 
tional sentiment  existing  in  the  denomination.  The 
opening  at  Newmarket  thrilled  every  fibre  of  the 
church,  bringing  to  the  surface  thoughts  and  aspira- 
tions long  concealed  in  the  depths  of  unconsciousness, 
and  revealing  the  possibilities  of  a  new  sect  in  the  field 
of  education.  The  appearance  of  this  star  in  the  far 
east  was  hailed  by  wise  men  in  the  distant  places  of  the 
church ;  and,  as  a  result,  there  came  into  existence,  as 
by  magic,  a  group  of  literary  institutions  of  various 
grades  which  do  honor  to  the  denomination,  and  which 
will  prove  a  benediction  to  distant  generations. 


42  HISTORY    Lif 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PERSONNEL   AT   NEWMARKET   ACADEMY. 


I.    THE    REV.    JOHN    BRODHEAD. 


WITHOUT  some  further  notice  of  leading  persons 
connected  with  the  school,  as  trustees,  teachers, 
or  students,  our  sketch  of  Newmarket  Academy  would 
not  be  complete.  The  institution  has  vanished  like  the 
lost  Paradise ;  the  example  of  those  associated  with  it 
remains  to  us.  As  persons  of  courage  and  devotion  to 
duty,  the  heralds  of  a  new  dawn,  the  leaders  of  an 
enterprise  whose  beneficent  influence  is  destined  to  ex- 
tend on  to  a  thousand  generations,  they  are  worthy  of 
perpetual  remembrance.  They  labored ;  we  enjoy  the 
benefit  of  their  labors  in  the  larger  possibilities  of  oui 
time. 

Of  some  of  those  connected  with  the  management, 
we  have  spoken  already  at  sufficient  length;  others, 
especially  Brodhead  and  Binney,  who  occupied  foremost 
positions,  deserve  additional  notice.  In  an  important 
sense  they  were  the  founders  of  the  institution,  moving 
in  advance  of  public  sentiment,  and  cooperating  as 


Rev.  JOHN    BRODHEAD. 


THE   WES  LEY  AN  ACADEMY.  43 

true  yokefellows  in  bringing  to  completeness  an  under- 
taking requiring  labor,  care  and  money.  The  enterprise, 
courage  and  enlarged  views  of  the  minister  were  ad- 
mirably supplemented  by  the  benevolent  spirit,  business 
sagacity  and  financial  resources  of  the  laymen. 

John  Brodhead  was  born  at  Smithfield,  Pa.,  October 
22,  1770,  and  died  at  Newmarket,  September  7,  1838. 
He  came  of  solid  English  stock.  In  1613,  his  ancestor, 
John  Brodhead,  received  for  services  to  the  crown  Monk 
Britton  Manor.  His  grandson,  Captain  Daniel,  came  to 
New  York,  in  1664,  with  Colonel  Roch  Nichols.  The 
grandson  of  Captain  Daniel  removed,  in  1737,  to  lands 
now  occupied  by  the  city  of  Strandsburg,  Pa.  Among 
his  sons  was  Captain  Luke  Brodhead,  a  leading  citizen, 
and  the  first  magistrate  appointed  by  Governor  Mifflin, 
in  1770,  in  Wyoming.  lie  served  under  Lafayette  in  the 
battle  of  Brandywine,  where  he  received  a  wound,  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  died  in  1805. 

In  the  Marquis's  visit  to  New  Hampshire  in  1825,  he 
met  John  Brodhead,  then  a  member  of  the  Senate.  He 
remembered  the  father  as  a  brave  officer;  and,  when 
told  this  senator  was  his  son,  he  exclaimed:  "  My  dear 
sir,  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you.  It  always  cheers  my 
heart  to  find  that  the  sons  of  my  comrades  in  arms  still 
love  me."  As  the  conversation  went  on  many  of  the 
members  of  the  Legislature  were  in  tears. 

Uniting  with  the  Methodists  in  1792,  he  began  to 
preach  a  couple  of  years  later.  He  came  to  Readfield, 
Me.,  in  1796,  locating  in  1812,  and  settling  in  New- 
market. Highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow  citizens,  he 
was  often  called  to  fill  civil  offices.  He  was  State  Sen- 
ator for  several  years  and  often  chaplain.  In  1829  he 


44  HISTORY  OF 

was  elected  to  Congress,  where  he  served  with  ability. 
Governor  Bell  offered  him  a  seat  on  the  bench,  and  his 
friends  urged  him  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  as  a 
candidate  for  governor.  In  politics,  as  elsewhere,  he 
was  open  and  sincere.  Offices  came  to  him;  he  never 
sought  them.  Once  in  place,  he  endeavored  faithfully 
to  discharge  its  duties.  He  always  had  the  courage  of 
his  convictions,  so  that  he  never  could  be  used  by  party 
bosses.  In  State,  as  in  church,  he  was  a  religious  man. 
In  Congress  he  took  strong  ground  against  jobbery, 
and  in  favor  of  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath.  The 
citizens  of  Boston  sent  Colonel  R.  M.  Johnson  'a  silver 
service  for  his  report  against  Sunday  mail  service, 
through  Brodhead. 

A  leader  in  the  educational  movement,  as  we  have 
seen,  he  was  also  an  attractive  and  faithful  preacher. 
With  a  commanding  presence,  a  full,  musical  voice,  a 
vivid  imagination,  clearness  of  thought  and  a  ready  flow 
of  language,  he  at  once  attracted  and  held  the  attention 
of  his  audience. 

"  John  Brodhead,"  writes  Bishop  Hedding,  "  pos- 
sessed much  more  than  ordinary  talent.  His  percep- 
tions were  clear  and  strong,  and  he  had  uncommon 
facility  in  communicating  his  thoughts  to  others.  He 
was  a  good  divine  and  able  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 
His  sermons,  while  highly  instructive,  were  delivered 
with  a  commanding  and  distinct  voice,  and  were  some- 
times eloquent  and  powerful.  Such  was  his  popularity 
as  a  preacher  that  multitudes  were  attracted  from  a 
great  distance  to  hear  him.  Personal  appearance  was 
greatly  in  his  favor.  He  was  six  feet  in  height,  firmly 
built,  well  proportioned,  and  altogether  of  a  commanding 


Col.   AMOS    BINNEY. 


THE    WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  45 

aspect.  His  complexion  was  light  and  eye  dark,  and 
beaming  with  intelligence  and  benevolence.  In  his 
case,  the  outer  and  the  inner  man  were  admirably 
suited  to  each  other."  * 

Mr.  Brodhead  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Captain 
Thomas  Dodge  of  Ipswich,  born  August  27,  1782,  and 
died  August  28, 1875.  Mrs.  Dodge  was  a  Story,  aunt  of 
the  judge.  John  and  Mary  Brodhead  had  six  sons  and 
six  daughters. 

He  died  after  a  brief  illness  in  his  home  at  Newmarket. 
To  a  friend  who  inquired  about  his  condition,  his  reply 
was  characteristic :  "  The  old  vessel  is  a  wreck,  but  I 
trust  in  God  the  cargo  is  safe." 

II.      COLONEL   AMOS    BINNEY. 

Amos  Binney  was  born  in  Hull,  April  15,  1778,  and 
died  in  Boston,  January  11,  1833.  He  early  went  to 
Boston.  As  a  clerk,  he  at  once  displayed  the  qualities 
indispensable  to  success  —  energy,  industry,  integrity, 
a  facility  in  dealing  with  men  and  rare  judgment  in 
affairs.  As  a  merchant,  he  was  a  man  while  yet  in  his 
teens;  the  city,  in  his  case,  stimulated  the  growth  of 
the  best  traits  of  character. 

He  was  a  constant  attendant  on  the  services  in  Meth- 
odist Alley,  then  the  only  Methodist  Church  in  Boston. 
The  services  were  plain  but  animated;  the  members 
belonged  in  the  ranks  of  labor.  The  devotion  and 
earnestness  noticeable  in  their  services  attracted  young 
Binney,  and  induced  him  to  devote  himself  to  the  serv- 
ice of  God.  Uniting  with  the  church  at  sixteen,  he 

*  Sprague,  Annals  Am.  Pulpit.     Vol.  V. 


46  HISTORY  OF 

remained  firm  in  his  attachment  and  constant  in  his 
devotion  to  the  end.  To  the  young  society  his  talent 
was  a  valuable  acquisition.  He  at  once  took  hold  of 
the  debt,  under  which  the  society  was  laboring,  and 
extinguished  it. 

At  twenty-one  he  was  chosen  a  trustee.  When  the 
old  hive  became  full  he  went  up  town  with  the  new 
swarm  to  found  Bromfield  Street,  where  he  remained 
a  liberal  supporter  and  chief  financial  manager  of  the 
society.  Devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  own  church,  lie 
aided  in  the  spread  of  the  cause.  In  the  erection  of 
Bennett  Street  and  Revere  Street  Churches,  the  details 
were  managed  by  him.  From  1803  to  1812  he  was 
engaged  in  the  West  India  trade,  with  his  place  on 
Long  Wharf;  from  1812  to  1825,  the  critical  period  of 
the  war  with  England,  he  was  collector  of  the  port  of 
Boston,  and,  in  the  view  of  many  merchants,  large  sums 
of  money  and  much  time  and  inconvenience  were  saved 
by  his  integrity  and  ability. 

Colonel  Binney  was  the  first  of  our  Boston  laymen  to 
acquire  wealth.  Small  in  comparison  with  later  fortunes, 
his  acquisitions  were  considerable  for  the  time,  enabling 
him  to  own  a  fine  house,  still  standing  on  the  corner  of 
Mount  Vernon  and  Hancock  Streets,  and  to  maintain  a 
highly  respectable  style  of  living.  In  manners  and 
personal  appearance,  he  was  easy  and  elegant.  The 
excellent  portrait  of  him  in  Fisk  Hall  reveals  admirable 
symmetry  of  build,  graceful  bearing,  neatness  and  pro- 
priety in  dress,  with  a  brilliant  eye  and  intelligent,  be- 
nignant, cast  of  countenance,  and  beneath  all  these 
milder  appearances,  reliable  and  rugged  traits  of  char- 
acter. 


THE   WES  LEY  AN  ACADEMY.  47 

Colonel  Binney  was  a  benevolent  man.  On  all  worthy 
objects  at  home  and  abroad,  he  bestowed  with  a  gener- 
ous hand.  In  the  outspread  of  his  own  church,  he  felt 
a  deep  interest  and  often  aided  struggling  societies  by 
advice  and  money.  In  the  educational  movement  of 
his  church,  he  was  a  leader.  In  the  day  of  small 
things,  his  courage  was  invaluable.  At  Newmarket 
and  Wilbraham  he  was  a  trustee,  and  long  president  of 
the  board.  To  Newmarket,  he  gave  its  largest  con- 
tribution, $1,000,  and  to  Wilbraham  he  donated  a 
property  worth  $10,000  or  $12,000. 

A  man  of  affairs,  a  prince  among  merchants,  he  was 
never  unmindful  of  religious  obligations  and  proprieties. 
Too  broad  in  his  culture  and  sympathies  to  be  a  bigot, 
he  was  yet  an  ardent  Methodist  who,  without  obtrud- 
ing his  views,  was  never  ashamed  of  his  creed  or 
religious  associations.  At  a  public  dinner,  Commodore 
Bainbridge  urged  him  to  drink  a  health.  "  I  cannot  do 
it,"  he  said;  "it  is  contrary  to  the  rules  of  my  church." 

He  married  Hannah  Doliber,  of  Marblehead,  February 
3,  1799.  Of  their  six  sons,  four  died  in  infancy;  Amos, 
a  physician,  died  in  Italy  in  1847,  and  John  A.  died  in 
New  York  in  1881 ;  of  the  five  daughters,  Hannah 
alone  survives.* 

III.   DANIEL   FILLMORE. 

Daniel  Fillmore  was  born  in  Franklin,  Ct.,  October 
29,  1787,  and  died  in  Providence,  R.I.,  August  13, 
1858.  Entering  the  Conference  in  1811,  he  held  many 
responsible  charges  and  was  for  twenty-two  years  secre- 

*For  these  facts  I  am  indebted  to  a  volume  on  "The  Binney 
Family,"  and  to  a  paper  by  Hon.  Jacob  Sleeper,  read  before  the 
•"Methodist  Historical  Society." 


48  HISTORY  OF 

tary  of  the  body.  He  was  a  trustee  and  once  secretary 
of  the  board  at  Newmarket.  A  good  man,  an  able 
preacher  and  faithful  worker  in  the  cause  of  education, 
he  was  highly  successful  in  his  work. 

IV.   JOHN    CLARK 

was  a  tobacconist  in  Boston,  an  energetic  and  success- 
ful business  man,  and  member  of  Bromfield  Street. 
He  was  a  trustee,  and  aided  the  Academy  by  services 
and  money  in  its  time  of  great  need. 

V.   MOSES  WHITE, 

the  St.  John  of  the  institution,  a  good  and  true  man 
with  the  simplicity  of  a  child  and  the  wisdom  of  a  sage, 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Vt.,  and  brought  to  the  Acad- 
emy by  his  brother  Joseph. 

"In  person,  Mr.  White  was  nearly  six  feet  tall, 
compact  but  not  corpulent.  He  had  a  fine  head,  large 
forehead,  prominent  nose,  full,  dark  blue  eye,  sallow 
complexion,  reserved  manner,  dignified  mein,  classical 
taste,  thorough  scholarship  and  skill  in  teaching  and 
discipline.  If  by  any  he  may  have  been  deemed  severe, 
it  should  be  remembered  that  he  lived  in  a  time  when 
it  was  not  the  custom  to  send  home  unruly  boys,  but  to 
reform  and  make  them  good.  It  is  easy  to  empty  a 
schoolroom,  and  for  the  school  to  fail  of  its  end.  For 
the  most  part,  Mr.  White  had  no  assistant. 

"  His  work  was  various.  He  had  classes  in  arithme- 
tic in  all  stages  of  progress,  in  geography,  in  survey- 
ing, in  book-keeping,  astronomy,  natural  philosophy, 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  49 

chemistry,  English,  Latin  and  French  grammar,  Latin 
and  French  languages,  Liber  Primus,  Cicero,  Virgil, 
French  reader,  Testament,  rhetoric,  logic,  penmanship, 
composition,  declamation,  history,  and  the  care  for  the 
whole  school.  And,  as  the  uncomplaining  camel,  he 
bore  the  load  for  years.  At  the  hour  he  was  always 
at  his  post  and  wrought  alone  till  the  going  down  of 
the  sun.  His  salary  was  small  and  met  chiefly  from 
tuition.  His  remuneration,  meager  and  inadequate, 
presented  little  inducement  to  elicit  his  painstaking 
and  exhausting  toil.  It  was  for  the  church,  in  the 
education  of  her  children  and  young  ministry,  that  he 
labored  on,  critically  exact  and  always  ready  in  every 
emergency  in  the  pulpit. 

"  He  always  opened  the  school  with  prayer,  marked 
by  the  deepest  humility,  sense  of  dependence  and  feel- 
ing of  gratitude.  Though  deeply  pious,  he  rarely  spoke 
upon  religious  subjects  out  of  the  schoolroom  and  in 
the  sacred  circle.  Through  severe  application,  he 
greatly  suffered  in  his  eyes.  For  four  years  he  was 
blind,  and  partially  so  for  several  years  afterwards. 
After  leaving  Newmarket,  he  married  and  settled  in 
North  Springfield,  Vt.  He  had  one  son  and  three 
daughters,  two  of  whom  were  invalids. 

"  Though  very  indigent,  he  was  highly  respectable. 
By  manual  labor  and  the  salaries  from  the  offices  he 
held,  he  was  able  to  own  his  house,  worth  seven  or 
eight  hundred  dollars.  This  was  the  extent  of  his 
wealth.  But  with  the  greatest  economy  and  daily  toil, 
he  supported  and  brought  up  a  virtuous  family,  though 
two  of  them  were  invalids.  The  appreciation  of  his 
townsmen  was  expressed  in  the  various  offices  bestowed 


50  HISTORY  OF 

upon  him.  He  was  juror,  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
often  a  member  of  the  legislature.  He  wrote  an 
elegant  hand,  in  a  good  style  of  most  excellent  English. 
In  a  word,  he  was  a  good  man,  lived  humbly  and  use- 
fully, and  died  in  great  peace."* 

*  J.  W.  Merrill,  D.D.,   "  My  Schools,  etc." 


THE   WESLEYAN   ACADEMY.  51 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  STUDENTS   AT    NEWMARKET. 

IN  her  students,  not  less  than  in  her  founders  and 
teachers,  was  Newmarket  honored  Most  of  them 
became  reputable  and  useful  citizens,  many  obtained 
positions  of  honor  and  trust.  They  were  found  in  all 
the  professions — law,  medicine,  divinity;  they  were 
teachers,  missionaries,  politicians ;  they  entered  the  halls 
of  legislation  and  became  managers  of  the  household; 
were  merchants,  artisans,  agriculturalists,  and  into  what- 
ever department  of  society  or  business  they  entered, 
they  proved  a  benediction,  imparting,  as  they  did,  their 
own  inspiration  to  those  with  whom  they  became  asso- 
ciated. The  students  of  Newmarket  became  the  edu- 
cational missionaries  of  American  Methodism,  bearing 
into  every  part  of  the  land  the  new  evangel  of  letters, 
and  kindling  among  the  people  a  zeal  for  education 
only  less  ardent  than  that  for  religion. 

Of  those  who  entered  at  Newmarket,  many  were  quite 
mature,  and  were  controlled  by  an  elevated  and  noble 
purpose.  Susceptible  to  the  new  intellectual  afflatus 
which  had  fallen  on  the  church,  they  were  prepared  t  > 


52  HISTORY  OF 

profit  by  the  advantages  of  the  opening  dispensation. 
Going  forth  in  the  strength  of  this  inspiration,  as  well 
as  with  the  equipment  of  scholastic  drill,  they  naturally 
became  prominent  among  their  associates.  After  the 
lapse  of  nearly  three-fourths  of  a  century,  we  are  aston- 
ished to  find  so  many  of  their  names  familiar,  some  of 
them  like  household  words.  So  far  as  we  are  aware,  no 
catalogue  or  pedagogic  roll  preserves  their  names,  but 
they  live  in  the  recollection  of  a  few  survivors  and  in 
the  history  of  the  period  in  which  they  were  actors. 
Under  these  disadvantages,  we  can  only  glance  at  a  few 
names  which  retain  an  interest  for  the  current  genera- 
tion. 

The  preachers,  educated  at  Newmarket,  can  be  more 
easily  traced  than  the  laymen  who  melted  into  the  great 
currents  of  society.  A  few  names  are  familiar.  Amos 
Biuney,  a  member  of  the  New  England  Conference  for 
more  than  a  half  century,  died  so  late  as  1878.  He  was 
a  nephew  of  Colonel  Binney  and  brother  of  Barnabas, 
who  accompanied  him  to  Newmarket.  Mrs.  Dr.  Daniel 
Steele  is  a  daughter  of  Amos  Binney.  Though  not  a 
great  man,  he  was  a  useful  minister  and  the  author 
of  an  admirable  "Theological  Compend,"  which  lives 
after  him.  Caleb  D.  Rogers  joined  the  Conference  in 
1823,  and  was  well  known  to  the  fathers  as  a  faithful 
and  efficient  preacher.  George  Sutherland  entered  the 
Academy  young.  He  was  well  built,  with  ruddy  fea- 
tures and  bright  blue  eyes;  was  a  fine  scholar  and 
eloquent  speaker,  with  a  voice  well  trained.  He  was 
converted  at  Newmarket  and  became  a  zealous  worker 
in  the  meetings,  both  in  the  Academy  and  at  Pine 
Grove.  He  joined  the  New  England  Conference  in 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  53 

1825,  and  was  for  many  years  the  oldest  member  of  the 
body.  He  died  in  1891,  at  his  home  in  Chelsea. 

Edward  Otheman  began  his  studies  at  Newmarket  and 
completed  his  preparation  for  Brown  at  Wilbraham, 
where  he  was  long  remembered  as  a  tall,  bright,  lively 
and  handsome  lad.  John  Foster,  both  pious  and  zeal- 
ous, was  tall  and  stout;  and  Charles  Baker,  a  man  of 
gentle  spirit,  whose  life  emitted  a  pure  and  sweet  light 
and  whose  death  was  a  final  triumph,  came  about  the 
same  time.  He  was  long  known,  both  in  Maine  and 
Massachusetts.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Baker,  of  New  Jersey,  is 
his  son. 

Samuel  Kelley  went  to  Newmarket  with  large  educa- 
tional plans,  which  were  gradually  narrowed  down  to 
the  advantages  afforded  at  the  Academy.  Always  a 
student,  he  never  became  a  scholar.  In  spite  of  this,  he 
was  a  systematic  and  enthusiastic  laborer  in  the  New 
Hampshire  and  New  England  Conferences  to  old  age. 
He  was  a  model  pastor. 

William  C.  Larrabee  was  a  bright,  vigorous,  sprightly 
young  man,  below  the  medium  size,  with  fine  features, 
refined  feelings  and  a  devout  heart.  He  was  an  admir- 
able scholar.  At  Bowdoin,  he  led  his  class  and  was  vale- 
dictorian. As  teacher,  preacher,  author,  he  is  well  and 
tenderly  remembered.  As  professor  at  Indiana  Asbury, 
his  life  and  example  proved  an  inspiration  to  many. 
Edward  T.  Taylor,  then,  as  later  in  the  Boston  Bethel, 
was  a  thunder-gust.  His  speech  was  like  chain-light- 
ning—  a  surprise,  a  bit  of  percussive  power,  sending  a 
thrill  through  the  audience.  He  was  but  a  bird  of  pas- 
sage at  Newmarket ;  he  did  not  remain  long  enough  to 
do  him  any  harm.  He  was  nature's  child,  one  of  the 


54  HISTORY  OF 

seven  wonders  of  Boston,  a  preacher  of  passion,  with 
infinite  storms  bound  up  in  his  soul,  and  ever  ready  to 
burst  in  thunder  and  flame  on  the  congregation.  One 
who  was  with  him  at  school  writes:  "Though  some- 
times gentle  and  winning  as  a  lover's  lute,  oftener 
tumultuous  and  stormy,  —  the  furious  sweep  of  rapids, 
or  the  roar  and  lashing  of  the  ocean  when  storms  are 
on  the  deep.  He  did  not  content  himself  with  pon- 
dering over  his  lessons ;  he  found  his  way  into  the 
schoolhouses  and  dwellings,  here  and  there,  and  rallied 
crowds  within  the  reach  of  his  unique  and  stormy  elo- 
quence. Whole  neighborhoods  would  resound  with  his 
strong,  bugle  notes,  as  if  a  whirlwind  were  driven  across 
the  landscape."  * 

Born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in  1793,  he  went  to  Boston 
in  1810.  Converted  under  the  ministry  of  Hedding, 
the  church  hesitated  to  license  such  a  bundle  of  eccen- 
tricities. J.  A.  Merrill  saw  something  in  him,  and 
before  bringing  the  matter  to  vote  in  the  Quarterly 
Conference,  set  the  young  sailor  to  preaching.  "  By  the 
life  of  Pharaoh  ye  are  spies,"  was  the  daring  text  with 
which  he  won  a  favorable  verdict.  This  was  before  he 
went  to  Newmarket.  Charles  Adams,  whose  home  was 
just  across  the  river  in  Stratham,  began  study  there  and 
followed  the  school  in  its  removal. 

Uriah  Jewett,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  J.  A.  Merrill,  a  Ca- 
nadian giant,  standing  head  and  shoulders  above  his 
fellows,  was  there.  It  was  a  delight  to  look  on  his 
stalwart  form  and  gaze  into  his  bland  and  open  counte- 
nance. Though  so  large,  his  movement  was  elastic  and 
his  voice  full  and  resonant.  No  one  of  his  associates 

*Haveu's  Life  of  Taylor,  p.  G3. 


Rev.   EDWARD   T.   TAYLOR. 


WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  55 

ever  forgot  him.  Several  of  the  Brodheads  were  in 
attendance  —  Joseph,  John  M.,  Eliza,  Anna,  and  possi- 
bly others.  Eliza  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Norris,  and  Anna  of  Mr.  Ewing,  of  old  Kingston. 
John  M.  was  a  physician,  who  died  at  the  old  homestead 
in  1880.  He  was  an  excellent  man.  In  person  he  was 
almost  faultless,  with  prominent,  well-cut  features,  high 
and  massive  forehead  and  face  slightly  full ;  a  little 
above  the  medium  size  and  firmly  built.  With  a  mind 
of  high  order,  he  was  a  fine  scholar  and  quite  ready  in 
whatever  he  undertook.  "  As  an  orator,  in  voice,  pro- 
nunciation, emphasis,  gesture  and  dignity,  he  was  so 
natural  and  pleasing  as  to  charm  all  who  listened  to 
him.  After  leaving  the  Academy,  he  studied  medicine, 
married  an  estimable  and  accomplished  lady,  the 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Waterman,  of  Bow,  N.H.,  and 
removed  to  Washington,  D.C.,  where  for  many  years 
he  was  Chief  Controller  of  the  Treasury.  So  much  was 
he  esteemed  for  integrity  and  efficiency  that  he  was 
retained  in  his  high  office  under  various  administra- 
tions and  very  widely  respected.  At  school,  he  was 
amiable,  refined  in  manners,  energetic,  high-souled, 
ardent  in  pursuit  of  knowledge,  excellence  and  virtue. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  promising  members  of  the 
school.  In  a  useful  and  honorable  life,  he  fulfilled  the 
promise  of  his  youth."  * 

Several  of  the  Bartletts  studied  at  Newmarket.  They 
belonged  to  the  elite  of  the  period.  They  had  talent, 
wealth  and  social  position.  Oliver  and  Charlotte  were 
children  of  Dr.  Bartlett  of  Nantucket;  Buella  and 
Juna,  of  Dr.  Bartlett  of  old  Kingston.  Attractive  in 

*Kev.  John  W.  Merrill,  D.D. 


56  HISTORY  OF 

physical  characteristics  and  manners,  they  were  all  fine 
English  and  classical  scholars.  The  favorites  of  the 
school,  they  naturally  left  a  deep  impression  on  the 
minds  of  their  fellow  students. 

Two  of  the  sons  of  Joseph  A.  Merrill  were  students 
at  Newmarket.  John  "W.  studied  theology  and  joined 
the  Conference.  He  is  well  known  as  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  educational  movement  in  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  was  President  of  McKendree  College  and  for  many 
years  thereafter  professor  of  theology  at  the  Biblical 
Institute  at  Concord,  which  became  the  School  of 
Theology  of  Boston  University.  As  a  teacher,  he  did 
excellent  service.  He  believed  in  drill,  and  always  con- 
trived to  beat  knowledge  into  the  heads  of  his  pupils. 
Many  a  student  has  reason  to  remember  his  faithful  and 
unwearied  services.  "My  Schools  and  Schoolmates" 
abounds  in  vivid  and  life-like  pictures  of  scenes,  men 
and  women  at  Newmarket  and  Wilbraham.  In  the 
preparation  of  this  history,  I  owe  much  to  these  sketches, 
as  well  as  to  suggestions  and  material  by  letter  from  the 
author.  His  brother  Annis  studied  law  and  settled  in 
San  Francisco,  where  he  soon  attained  eminence  at  the 
bar  as  an  eloquent  pleader  as  well  as  sound  lawyer. 
They  both  graduated  at  Wesleyan  University. 

Harriet  Maclellan,  of  Bath,  Me.,  was  long  remem- 
bered as  a  lady  of  elegant  manners  and  close,  persistent 
devotion  to  study.  Though  attractive,  she  mingled 
little  in  society.  Devoted  to  the  one  business  of  the 
hour,  her  walks  were  secluded,  with  a  rapid,  direct, 
sprightly  and  resolute  step,  indicative  of  her  general 
character.  Charles  Adams,  who  made  her  acquaint- 
ance at  Newmarket,  met  her  again,  in  his  college  days, 


THE    WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  57 

at  Bath,  and  deemed  her  one  of  the  elect  ladies,  like  Paul's 
helpers,  whose  names  were  in  the  book  of  life.  She 
was  known  later  as  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Husted. 

John  Lovell  was  the  old  man  of  the  institution,  who 
long  lived  in  the  memories  of  the  students.  He  was 
between  thirty  and  forty,  plain  and  simple,  with  a 
touch  of  dry  humor.  Tall,  portly,  with  heavy  whiskers, 
little  given  to  study,  he  was  yet  wonderfully  genial, 
sunny,  droll  and  talkative.  A  favorite  with  all,  he 
delighted  to  associate  with  the  younger  students  whom 
he  often  invited  to  his  room  and  used  gravely  to  tell 
them  he  was  just  fifteen.  He  knew  how  to  tell  a  good 
story,  and,  while  very  grave  himself,  to  set  the  whole 
company  in  a  roar  of  laughter.  Lovell's  record  should 
go  down  with  the  best;  if  not  for  advanced  scholar- 
ship, then  for  genial  humor  which  went  some  way  in 
oiling  the  machinery.* 

But  why  tell  of  more?  The  story  of  the  four  hun- 
dred is  a  long  one  and  can,  after  this  long  lapse  of  time, 
be  only  imperfectly  rehearsed.  There  were  those  less 
conspicuous,  whose  light,  nevertheless,  in  the  narrower 
circles  in  which  they  moved,  shone  with  a  pure  and 
steady  radiance.  They  made  glad  the  homes  in  which 
they  lived.  They  were  often  a  benediction  in  the 
neighborhood  or  the  local  church.  The  Methodist 
Church,  the  great  world  indeed,  owes  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude to  the  students  who  went  out  from  Newmarket. 
An  army  of  faithful  workers,  of  benefactors  in  a  high 
sense,  they  contributed  to  the  causes  of  humanity,  edu- 
cation and  religion  wherever  they  went  to  prosecute  ths 
great  business  of  life. 

*Rev.  Charles  Adams,  D.D. 


THE    WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  59 


n.  £be  iperiofc  of  IRemovaL 

1824  —  1848. 


"<B>ct  ttycc  out  of  tl)t]  ronntrn  anb  from  ll)B  kin= 
breb,  anb  come  into  tlje  lanb  tol)icl)  S  sl)all  sl)otD 
—  Saint  Stephen. 


60  HISTORY  Otf 


1.    ®l)e  &bministrati0n  of  iDilbur  iTiek,  21. 
1826  —  1830 


THE   WESLEKAN  ACADEMY.  61 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    LOCATION    OF    THE    WESLEYAN    ACADEMY    AT 
WILBRAHAM. 

HPHE  process  of  removal  from  Newmarket  to  Wilbra- 
1  ham  was  somewhat  informal.  By  general  under- 
standing, the  friends  of  the  school  acted  as  a  committee 
of  the  whole  to  survey  the  field  and  indicate  any 
place  suitable  for  replanting.  The  trustees  at  New- 
market naturally  took  the  initiative.  The  close  at  the 
old  seat  was  with  the  purpose  of  reopening,  at  the 
earliest  moment  possible,  in  some  more  favorable 
locality.  Those  who  had  led  in  the  first  movement 
were  to  be  eyes  and  judgment  for  the  church  in  the 
new  one.  Hence  they  were  prepared  to  receive  sug- 
gestions and  to  consider  proposals  from  places  which 
might  desire  to  have  the  Academy  located  within  their 
borders. 

The  trustees  deemed  it  desirable  to  secure  a  more 
central  location,  accessible,  so  far  as  possible,  to  all  the 
Methodists  of  New  England.  The  old  location  was  too 
fur  east,  and  in  the  seaboard  belt  already  favored  with 
most  of  the  literary  institutions  to  be  found  in  Massa- 
chusetts. The  interior,  or  western  part  of  the  State 


62  HISTORY  OF 

would  give  them  a  more  open  and  unoccupied  field. 
At  an  informal  meeting  of  the  trustees  in  Boston  in 
December,  1823,  soon  after  the  closing  at  Newmarket, 
to  consider  the  question  of  a  new  location,  it  was  found 
that  applications  had  come  from  Rochester,  N.H.,  Lynn, 
Mass.,  and  Ellington,  Ct.  These  several  proposals 
were  canvassed  by  the  trustees.  Ellington  was  a 
beautiful  place,  situated  in  the  interior  belt,  where  it 
could  be  reached  from  the  north  and  west,  but  the 
local  advantages  were  not  sufficient  to  warrant  its 
selection.  To  Rochester  there  were  many  of  the  ob- 
jections urged  against  Newmarket.  It  was  aside  from 
the  mass  of  our  people.  It  was  in  the  old  educational 
belt.  The  people  of  Rochester  could  do  but  little  for 
the  school  and  the  locality  would  be  unfavorable. 
Lynn  only  remained  to  be  considered,  though  in  the 
eastern  belt,  this  last  place  presented  some  great  advan- 
tages. It  was  the  early  stronghold  of  Methodism  in 
New  England.  Our  people  there  would  be  proud  of 
the  school  and  would  rally  to  its  support.  Lynn,  too, 
was  accessible  to  large  outlying  populations.  Evidently 
with  the  then  existing  considerations,  tho  shoe  town  must 
bear  off  the  palm.  The  trustees  were  at  the  moment  of 
decision  in  favor  of  Lynn.  At  this  critical  moment, 
when  the  question  was  so  nearly  settled  in  favor  of 
another  place,  a  messenger  came  to  the  door  from  Wil- 
braham.  Light  broke  from  the  very  region  to  which 
they  had  looked  for  it  in  vain.  As  they  were  settling 
down  upon  Lynn,  the  finger  of  Providence  seemed,  for 
the  first  time,  clearly  to  point  to  the  interior,  and  made 
a  recanvass  of  the  subject  necessary. 

The  attention  of  the  people  in  Wilbraham  was  called 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  63 

to  the  question  of  relocating  the  Academy  by  the 
Rev.  Joseph  A.  Merrill.  As  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
New  London  District,  he  was  paying  his  quarterly 
visit  to  that  charge ;  and  while  stopping  at  the  house 
of  Calvin  Brewer,  a  leading  member  and  local  preacher, 
in  company  with  the  Rev.  Phineas  Peck,  a  supernum- 
erary preacher,  temporarily  suppling  the  pulpit,  the 
conversation  incidentally  turned  upon  the  subject  of 
education  among  the  Methodists.  The  fact  that  New- 
market was  about  to  close,  and  that  the  Conference  had 
ordered  the  removal  of  the  institution  to  a  locality 
adapted  to  secure  a  larger  number  of  students,  was 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Merrill.  -Mr.  Brewer  raised  the 
question  as  to  what  he  thought  of  Wilbraham  as  a 
location.  The  reply  of  Mr.  Merrill  was  that,  though  a 
trustee,  he  could  say  nothing  officially  in  the  absence 
of  his  associates;  but  if  the  citizens  wished  it,  and 
would  give  the  proper  encouragement,  he  thought  the 
object  might  be  secured.  He  thought  well  of  the 
place,  as  pleasant  and  central.  The  trustees  would 
wish  to  know  that  the  citizens  cherished  an  interest  in 
the  enterprise  and  that  they  would  secure  a  fair  amount 
of  material  aid.  In  the  mind  of  Calvin  Brewer,  the 
idea  burned  and -kindled  into  a  glow  of  enthusiasm 
under  which  he  pledged  for  himself,  to  aid  in  the  enter- 
prise, one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  He  felt  an  irre- 
pressible desire  "  to  accomplish  a  noble  work  for  the 
church  and  the  rising  generation."  * 

This   conversation  was    held    in   the    early  autumn, 
"sometime  a  little  previous  to  the  discontinuance  of 

*  J.  A.  Merrill,  (Brief  Sketch)  attributes  the  first  suggestion  to  Mr.  Brewer ;  while 
Brewer,  on  the  other  hand,  refers  the  honor  to  Mr.  Merrill.  "He  (Merrill)  suggested 
the  idea  that  the  people  in  this  place  might  have  the  Academy  if  they  desired." 


64  HISTORY  OF 

instruction  at  the  Newmarket  Academy,"  says  Mr. 
Merrill.  Nothing  came  of  it  at  the  moment.  In  fact 
it  seemed  to  have  passed  out  of  the  public  mind. 
Meantime,  Calvin  Brewer  had  mused  on  it,  and  the 
fire  continued  to  burn  in  his  heart.  In  conversation 
with  other  parties,  he  found  the  interest  in  the  subject 
extended  beyond  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
Leading  members  of  the  Congregational  Society 
welcomed  the  project.  The  state  of  local  sentiment 
was  communicated  to  J.  A.  Merrill  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Peck,  so  that  he  might  hold  the  matter  in  mind  and  be 
prepared  to  exert  his  influence  with  his  fellow  trustees. 
John  W.  Merrill,  then  a  student  of  medicine,  under 
Dr.  Jesse  Rice,  walked  twenty  miles  one  day  to  bear 
the  letter  to  his  father  in  time. 

At  length  intelligence  came  to  town  of  the  December 
meeting  of  the  trustees  in  Boston.  The  news  was  late, 
coming  on  Friday  and  the  meeting  was  to  be  held  on 
the  ensuing  Wednesday;  whatever  was  to  be  done, 
must  be  done  quickly.  To  influence  the  action  of  the 
trustees,  it  was  certain,  something  more  than  informal 
talk  would  be  required.  Definite  propositions  must  be 
made  as  to  what  the  citizens  were  willing  to  do,  in 
case  their  town  should  be  selected  as  the  seat  of  the 
Academy.  Mr.  Brewer  and  Mr.  Peck,  who  had  thus 
far  led  in  the  matter,  consulted  the  Hon.  Abel  Bliss, 
an  esteemed  and  influential  citizen,  as  to  the  course  to 
be  pursued.  As  he  had  not  given  the  matter  serious 
thought,  he  hesitated  to  advise  where  so  much  was  at 
stake.  More  than  any  of  the  friends  about  him,  Mr. 
Bliss  measured  the  difficulties  of  the  enterprise  and 
preferred  to  count  the  cost  before  beginning  to  build. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  65 

The  failures  at  Cokesbury  and  Newmarket  put  him  on 
his  guard  against  rash  undertakings.  It  were  better 
not  to  begin  than  to  fail.  The  enthusiasm,  which 
flamed  through  the  soul  of  his  neighbor,  little  affected 
his  cooler  brain,  and  was  to  be  taken  with  some  grains 
of  discount.  The  demands  of  the  church  and  the 
resources  to  meet  them  must  needs  be  taken  into 
account  in  settling  the  question.  Wilbraham  was  a 
small  rural  town,  with  few  citizens  who  would  be 
likely  to  make  any  considerable  contributions  to  the 
cause ;  and,  in  view  of  the  whole  situation,  he  thought 
it  wiser  to  delay  action  until  after  the  meeting  of  the 
trustees  in  Boston  the  next  week. 

So  cool  a  reception  of  his  proposition,  by  a  leading 
citizen,  served  to  check,  though  not  to  quench  the 
ardor  of  Mr.  Brewer.  He  determined  at  once  to  try  an 
effectual  method  of  testing  the  reality  and  depth  of  the 
public  interest  in  favor  of  the  cause.  Of  course  this 
could  be  done  only  by  securing  definite  pledges  from 
individuals ;  and  for  this  the  time  was  brief.  The 
result  must  reach  Boston  before  or  on  the  ensuing 
Wednesday.  Asking  his  friend  Bliss  to  draw  up  a 
subscription  paper,  he  proceeded  on  Saturday  with  the 
document  to  secure  pledges  from  the  citizens.  Heading 
the  paper  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  he  pre- 
sented it  to  his  neighbors,  who  responded  beyond  his 
expectations.  The  Brewers  led  the  column.  This 
favorable  response  revived  his  courage  by  the  way, 
and  induced  him  in  the  afternoon  to  return  to  his 
friend  Bliss,  who  expressed  some  surprise  at  the  result, 
and  promptly  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  column  by 
writing  down  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars.  He 


66  HIS  TORT  OF 

was  followed  by  another  leading  citizen,  Abraham 
A  very,  with  sixty  dollars.  And  so  the  work  went  on. 
They  all  began  to  realize  that  success  was  possibly  at 
the  door.  In  the  evening  the  friends  met  for  consulta- 
tion. Some  one  must  be  chosen  to  bear  the  proposition 
to  the  trustees.  In  the  absence  of  railroads  and  tele- 
graphs, it  would  be  necessary  for  the  messenger  to  start 
early  on  Monday  morning.  Mr.  Avery  and  others  pro- 
posed the  selection  of  Mr.  Brewer  as  the  one  most  thor- 
oughly interested  in  the  project.  To  this  he  objected,  as 
he  was  a  stranger  to  most  of  the  trustees.  This  would 
work  to  his  disadvantage  in  presenting  the  cause  to 
the  board.  The  better  way  would  be  to  select  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Peck,  who  was  equally  interested  with  himself  in 
the  cause,  and  would  have  the  advantage,  in  urging 
its  claims,  of  being  a  member  of  the  Conference  and 
acquainted  with  all  the  members  of  the  Board.  He 
would  be  able  to  plead  the  cause  in  a  clear  and  forcible 
manner.  Accordingly  the  choice  of  the  meeting  fell 
on  Mr.  Peck  as  the  one  most  likely  to  secure  the  end  in 
view. 

•  Like  many  another  itinerant  of  the  time,  Mr.  Peck 
owned  an  admirable  horse,  not  unused  to  rapid  driving ; 
and  Mr.  Brewer  furnished  a  light  sulky.  With  this 
simple  outfit,  he  started  early  on  Monday  morning, 
and  by  a  steady  pull  reached  Boston,  a  distance  of 
ninety  miles,  at  noon  the  next  day.  The  splendid 
animal  which  performed  this  feat  deserves  a  place  in 
the  record  of  the  Academy  and  would  bear  to  be  named 
beside  Bucephalus,  Roland,  the  steed  which  bore  Paul 
Revere  to  alarm  the  country  before  the  Lexington  fight, 
or  the  more  famous  one  that 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  67 

"Saved  the  day 

By  carrying  Sheridan  into  the  fight 
From  Winchester  twenty  miles  away." 

On  reaching  Boston,  Mr.  Peck  was  surprised  to  find 
the  trustees  had  been  in  session  all  the  morning  and 
had  nearly  reached  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter. 
The  adjournment  for  dinner  made  it  possible  for  him  to 
meet  them  in  the  brief  afternoon  session  and  present 
the  proposal  from  Wilbraham.  In  brief  and  simple 
form  he  urged  the  considerations  in  favor  of  that  place 
as  a  location  for  the  Academy.  The  town  was  healthy, 
the  scenery  attractive  and  the  people  moral  and  reli- 
gious. The  Methodists  there  had  considerable  numerical 
and  financial  strength ;  and,  above  all,  the  citizens  felt 
a  deep  interest  in  the  enterprise  ;  as  evidence  of  which, 
the  subscription  so  well  begun,  would  be  considerably 
enlarged,  in  case  the  Academy  should  go  to  Wilbraham. 
The  board  recanvassed  the  whole  subject,  and  con- 
cluded, in  view  of  the  interest  of  the  people  and  the 
fitness  of  the  place,  to  favor  the  rebuilding  of  the 
Academy  at  Wilbruham.  The  decision  was  communi- 
cated to  Mr.  Peck  by  Colonel  Binney,  the  chairman  of 
the  board,  who  took  occasion  to  say  that  the  meeting 
was  informal  and  could  bind  the  parties  only  as  individ- 
uals, the  final  decision  being  with  the  Conference.  A,t 
the  same  time,  he  felt  no  doubt  that  the  board  in  full 
and  regular  session  would  approve  and  that  the  preach- 
ers would  ratify  the  action.  In  the  minds  of  all,  the 
question  seemed  to  be  settled  in  favor  of  Wilbraham, 
in  case  the  citizens  should  do  their  part.  Just  what 
their  part  was  to  be,  was  left  somewhat  indefinite.  The 
President  named  the  erection  of  a  building,  but  that 


68  HISTORY  OF 

was  not  in  the  bond,  and  was  regarded  as  a  suggestion 
rather  than  a  requirement. 

The  result  was  communicated  to  the  people  at  Wil- 
braham  by  Mr.  Peck.  Their  joy  was  great.  Arrange- 
ments were  at  once  made  to  complete  the  subscription. 
Twelve  papers  were  prepared,  and  the  whole  town  and 
vicinity  were  canvassed.  In  this  work  Calvin  Brewer 
was  a  leading  participator.  On  the  first  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1824,  the  twelve  solicitors  reported  pledges 
amounting,  in  the  aggregate,  to  $2,693.  For  the  time 
and  the  circumstances  of  the  people,  this  was  a  very 
liberal  subscription;  much  more  than  was,  at  first, 
anticipated.  Though  not  able  to  pledge  large  sums, 
many  of  them  rejoiced  to  have  a  hand  in  the  good 
work.  Members  of  the  Congregational  Church  vied 
with  their  Methodist  brethren  in  the  endeavor  to  swell 
the  amount  of  the  subscription.  The  subscriptions 
were  not  confined  to  Methodists  nor  to  the  people 
of  the  town.  The  committee  scoured  the  section 
about  Wilbraham  to  enlarge  the  contributions  for  the 
Academy. 

As  we  have  already  intimated,  there  were  strong  con- 
siderations in  favor  of  the  location  of  the  Academy  at 
Wilbraham.  The  place  itself  possesses  attractions  to 
those  who  love  nature  and  are  prepared  to  appreciate 
rural  beauties  in  field  and  forest,  in  meadow  and  grain 
field,  in  plain  and  mountain.  The  village  is  nestled 
under  the  range  of  hills  which  forms  the  eastern  wall  of 
the  Connecticut  valley,  with  a  broad  outlook  across  the 
plain  twenty  miles  wide  to  the  majestic  Hoosacks  on 
the  west.  To  the  north,  Holyoke  and  Tom  form  a  dam 
across  the  valley,  with  peaks  visible  from  every  direc- 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  69 

tion.  The  grandeur  looming  in  the  distance  forms  an 
agreeable  contrast  to  the  simple  and  subdued  beauties 
of  the  immediate  landscape,  where  the  work  of  man 
has  not  obscured  the  work  of  God.  The  place  is  home- 
like, restful,  and  sure  to  grow  on  those  who  abide  there 
for  a  length  of  time.  To  few  places  have  students 
ever  become  so  attached,  as  to  Wilbraham.  Above  all,, 
the  place  is  healthful.  Very  little  sickness  has  ever 
visited  the  Academy  or  the  town.  The  dry  soil  and 
soft  breezes  of  the  valley  are  sanative  and  life-giving. 
Their  presence  is  a  substitute  for  medicine. 

The  people  were  moral  and  religious.  The  Wilbra- 
ham of  1825  was  a  typical  New  England  town,  with  an 
intelligent,  industrious,  economical  and  enterprising 
population.  In  nearly  every  house,  on  the  two  mile 
street,  morning  and  evening  prayer  was  offered,  and  on 
Sunday,  the  whole  population  attended  church.  There 
are  places  where  we  would  not  like  to  plant  schools. 
The  immorality  would  prove  a  constant  source  of 
temptation  to  the  students ;  while  here  the  example  of 
virtue  and  piety  in  the  town  could  not  fail  to  exert  a 
salutary  influence  on  the  institution.  Its  freedom  from 
temptation  has  always  commended  Wilbraham  to  the 
public  as  a  safe  place  in  which  to  educate  young  per- 
sons. The  touch  of  the  plain,  rural  population  has 
always  been  healthful  and  conservative. 

The  new  location,  too,  opened  to  the  institution  a 
broader  patronizing  territory.  The  place  was  accessible 
from  Connecticut,  Vermont,  the  whole  Connecticut 
Valley,  and  even  from  New  York,  thus  contrasting 
strangely  with  the  narrow  territory  at  first  occupied  in 
the  Granite  State. 


t6  HISTORY  OP 

The  field  to  be  cultivated  by  the  Academy  was  un- 
occupied. At  the  founding  of  Wesleyan  Academy 
there  was  hardly  a  seminary  of  any  importance  in 
Western  Massachusetts,  while  at  the  same  time  a  large 
number  of  the  people  appreciated  advanced  education 
and  made  great  sacrifices  to  send  their  sons  to  college. 
Not  seldom  did  the  interest  of  families  in  education 
rise  to  enthusiasm.  B.  B.  Edwards  said  that  old 
Hampshire  County,  comprising  the  present  Hampshire, 
Hampden  and  Franklin  Counties,  "has  furnished  more 
students  for  college,  with  possibly  a  single  exception, 
than  any  other  county  in  the  Northern  States."  The 
elder  D wight  writes:  "No  county  in  the  State  has  uni- 
formly discovered  so  firm  an  adherence  to  good  order 
and  good  government,  or  a  higher  regard  for  learning, 
morals  and  religion.  As  a  body,  the  inhabitants  are  of 
that  middle  state  of  property  which  so  long  and  so  often 
has  been  termed  golden;  few  are  poor  and  few  are  rich. 
They  are  almost  independent  in  this  high  sense,  that 
they  live  in  homes  and  on  lands  which  they  own,  and 
which  they  hold  in  fee  simple.  The  number  of  persons 
in  a  family,  in  the  county  of  Hampshire,  exceeds  that 
in  the  eastern  counties,  and  marriages  are  more  uni- 
versal." * 

In  locating  the  new  Academy  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
thrifty  and  inquiring  people,  our  founders  were  not 
misled.  The  success  of  the  institution  for  more  than 
half  a  century  has  vindicated  their  foresight  and  wis- 
dom in  the  choice. 


*  Dwight's  Travels.    Vol.  2.  p.  269. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  71 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   INCORPORATION    OF    THE    NEW  BOARD   OF 
TRUSTEES. 

THE  removal  of  the  institution  from  New  Hamp- 
shire to  Massachusetts  made  it  necessary  to 
create  a  new  board  of  trustees.  At  the  request  of  the 
friends  of  the  Academy,  Rev.  John  Lindsay,  then 
stationed  in  Boston,  made  application  to  the  legislature 
in  the  winter  of  1824  for  an  act  of  incorporation.  In 
compliance  with  the  petition,  the  following  charter  was 
granted : 

ACT  OF  INCORPORATION. 

COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.  IN  THE  YEAB  OF  OUR  LORD 
ONE  THOUSAND  EIGHT  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-FOUR.  AN  ACT 
TO  INCORPORATE  AN  ACADEMY  IN  THE  TOWN  OF  WILBRAHAM 
BY  THE  NAME  OF  THE  WESLEY  AX  ACADEMY. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre 
sentatives,  in  General  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the 
same,  that  there  be  and  hereby  is  established  in  the  town  of  Wil- 
braham,  in  the  county  of  Hampdeu,  an  Academy  for  the  purpose 
of  promoting  religion  and  morality  and  for  the  education  of  youth 
in  such  of  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences,  as  the  trustees  for  the 
time  being  shall  direct;  and  that  Amos  Binney,  Abel  Bliss, 
Abraham  A  very,  Calvin  Brewer,  Enoch  Mudge,  Jr.,  Wilbur  Fisk, 
Joshua  Crowell,  William  Rice  and  John  Lindsay  be  nominated 


72  HISTORY  OF 

and  appointed  trustees,  and  they  are  hereby  incorporated  into  a 
body  politic  by  the  name  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy, and  they  and  their  successors  shall  be  and  continue  a  body 
politic  by  that  name  forever. 

SEC.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  that  all  lands,  monies,  or  other 
property  hereafter  given,  or  subscribed  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
or  establishing  an  Academy  as  aforesaid,  or  which  shall  hereafter 
be  given,  granted  or  assigned  to  the  said  trustees,  shall  be  con_ 
firmed  to  the  said  trustees  and  their  successors  in  (said  office  or) 
that  trust  forever,  for  the  uses,  which  in  such  instrument  shall  be 
expressed;  and  the  said  trustees  shall  be  capable  of  having,  taking 
and  holding,  in  fee  simple,  by  gift,  grant,  devise  or  otherwise  any 
lands,  tenements  or  other  estate,  real  or  personal,  provided  the 
annual  income  of  the  same  shall  not  exceed  the  sum  of  ten  thou- 
sand dollars;  and  shall  apply  the  profit  thereof  so  as  most  effectu- 
ally to  promote  the  design  of  the  institution. 

SEC.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted  that  the  said  trustees,  for  the 
time  being,  shall  be  the  governors  of  said  institution,  shall  have 
full  power,  from  time  to  time,  to  elect  such  officers  thereof  as  they 
shall  judge  necessary  and  convenient  and  fix  the  tenure  of  their 
respective  offices;  to  remove  from  office  any  trustee,  when  he 
shall  become  incapable  from  age  or  otherwise,  of  discharging  the 
duties  of  his  office,  or,  when  in  the  judgment  of  a  majority  of 
the  trustees,  he  is  an  improper  person  to  hold  such  office;  to  fill 
all  vacancies  that  may  happen  in  the  board  of  trustees;  to  deter- 
mine the  times  and  places  for  holding  their  meetings,  the  manner 
of  notifying  the  trustees  and  the  method  of  electing  members  of 
the  board;  to  elect  instructors  and  to  prescribe  their  duties;  to 
make  such  by-laws  as  they  may  think  proper,  with  reasonable 
penalties,  for  the  government  of  the  institution,  provided  the 
same  be  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  the  Commonwealth. 

SEC.  4.  Be  it  further  enacted  that  the  trustees  of  said  Academy 
may  have  a  common  seal  which  they  may  change  at  pleasure,  and 
all  deeds,  sealed  with  said  seal  and  delivered  and  acknowledged 
by  the  secretary  of  said  trustees  by  their  order,  shall  be  good  and 
valid  in  law;  and  said  trustees  may  sue  and  be  sued  in  all  actions 
and  prosecute  and  defend  the  same  to  final  judgment  and  execu- 
tion by  the  name  of  the  trustees  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy. 

SEC.  5.  Be  it  further  enacted  that  the  number  of  said  trustees 
shall  never  exceed  fifteen  nor  be  less  than  nine,  five  of  whom  shall 
be  necessary  to  constitute  a  quorum  for  doing  business,  but  a  less 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  73 

number  may,  from  time  to  time,  adjourn,  until  a  quorum  can  be 
constituted. 

SEC.  6.  Be  it  further  enacted  that  Amos  Binney  and  John 
Lindsay  be  and  hereby  are  authorized  and  empowered  to  fix  the 
time  and  place  for  holding  the  first  meeting  of  the  trustees  and  to 
notify  them  thereof. 

Approved  by  the  Governor,  February  7,  1824. 
A  true  copy. 

Attest:  A.  BRADFORD,  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth. 

It  is  noticeable  that  by  this  charter,  the  sole  control  of 
the  institution  is  placed  in  the  board  of  trustees,  subject 
only  to  the  requirements  of  the  trust.  The  Conference 
is  not  named.  It  is  not  chartered  as  a  Methodist  insti- 
tution. The  founders  and  corporators  were  members 
of  that  denomination,  as  most  of  the  later  managers 
have  been ;  but  it  was  established  to  promote  general 
education  and  its  advantages  have  been  offered  to  the 
general  public.  The  liberal  policy,  at  first  adopted, 
has  been  continued  to  this  hour,  so  that,  in  its  whole 
history,  one  third  at  least  of  the  students  have  come 
from  beyond  the  pale  of  the  Methodist  Church.  The 
trustees  early  sought  the  endorsement  and  patronage  of 
the  Conference,  which  was  invited  to  send  visitors  to 
the  institution  to  "examine  the  system  of  education 
and  instruction  adopted,  the  proficiency  of  the  students 
in  the  several  branches  of  their  studies,  the  rules  and 
regulations  for  the  government  of  the  institution  and 
from  time  to  time  advise  the  board  of  trustees  of  any 
amendment  or  alteration  that  they  may  deem  neces- 
sary for  the  best  interest  thereof  and  for  the  promotion 
of  piety,  religion  and  good  morals  in  the  students,  or 
the  diffusion  of  useful  knowledge."  The  committee  is 
merely  advisory;  all  power  inheres  in  the  board  of 
trustees. 


74  HISTORY  OF 

According  to  the  provision  of  the  charter,  the  first 
meeting  of  the  board  was  called  by  Colonel  Binney  and 
John  Lindsay,  to  meet  in  Boston,  February  19,  1824. 
At  the  above  date,  six  of  them,  viz.,  Amos  Binney, 
Abel  Bliss,  Abraham  Avery,  Calvin  Brewer,  William 
Rice  and  John  Lindsay,  met  at  the  preacher's  house  and 
proceeded  to  organize  by  the  choice  of  Colonel  Binney 
as  chairman  and  Abel  Bliss  as  secretary.  Mr.  Lindsay 
presented  a  copy  of  the  act  of  incorporation,  obtained 
from  the  Legislature ;  the  board  voted  to  accept  the 
trust,  with  assurances  of  making  "the  best  exertions  to 
carry  the  same  into  effect,"  and  to  enter  the  document 
on  their  records. 

A  committee,  consisting  of  John  Lindsay,  Enoch 
Mudge  and  Amos  Binney,  was  chosen  to  prepare  a  code 
of  by-laws,  "  to  draw  up  a  system  of  education  and 
instruction  "  for  the  consideration  of  the  board,  and  "to 
procure  drawings  of  the  ground  plans  and  elevations  of 
the  necessary  building's  for  an  academy  and  boarding 
house."  John  Lindsay  was  "authorized  to  solicit  the 
sanction  and  patronage  of  the  General  Conference 
to  be  held  in  Baltimore,  May  next,  and  also  to  solicit 
the  sanction  and  patronage  of  the  New  England  Con- 
ference to  be  held  in  Barnard,  Vt.,  June  next,  and  to 
solicit  subscriptions  generally  from  our  friends  in  aid 
of  the  design  of  the  said  Wesleyan  Academy."  Abel 
Bliss,  Abraham  Avery  and  Calvin  Brewer  were 
requested  to  continue  their  exertions  to  increase  the 
subscription  in  Wilbraham  and  vicinity.  '  Abel  Bliss, 
Abraham  Avery,  William  Rice  and  Calvin  Brewer  were 
chosen  "  to  select  one  or  more  lots  of  ground  in  the 
town  of  Wilbraham,  of  not  less  than  five  acres  nor 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  75 

more  than  fifty,  suitable  for  a  site  for  the  location  of 
the  Academy  and  other  buildings,  and  to  obtain  from 
the  owners  of  said  lots  the  price  demanded  and  to 
report  to  another  meeting."  After  these  initial  steps, 
the  board  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Abel  Bliss, 
June  30,  1824.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  July  2,  the 
report  on  plan  of  education  was  considered  and  that  on 
by-laws  adopted.  John  Lindsay  was  chosen  to  solicit 
subscriptions  abroad,  with  a  salary  equal  to  that  of  the 
presiding  elder  on  New  London  District.  At  the  same 
meeting  Abraham  Avery  was  chosen  the  first  treasurer 
of  the  board.  The  by-laws  contain  the  usual  provisions 
for  the  regulation  of  the  actions  of  the  board. 

The  Plan  of  Education,  issued  by  the  board,  explains 
the  methods  to  be  employed  at  the  Academy,  not 
unlike  those  in  use  in  other  New  England  academies, 
save  in  breadth,  and  that  great  stress  was  to  be  laid  on 
manual  labor.  There  was  to  be  a  farm,  where  students 
could  have  exercise  and  be  inducted  into  the  mysteries 
of  agriculture.  In  workshops,  the  students  were  to  be 
taught  the  use  of  tools  in  various  kinds  of  mechanical 
labor.  The  manual  labor  'craze  of  our  day  was  thus 
felt  at  Wilbraham  in  the  beginning. 

Of  the  feasibility  and  usefulness  of  the  general  plan, 
the  trustees  entertained  no  doubt.  In  bringing  it  into 
operation,  they  looked  with  anxious  solicitude  to  their 
friends  and  brethren  for  aid.  The  shadow  of  other 
failures  darkened  their  prospects  and  made  them  urgent 
to  enlarge  the  funds  of  the  institution  so  as  to  enable 
them  to  make  a  creditable  beginning.  To  this  end 
they  urged  earnest  cooperation  with  the  agent  they 
had  selected  to  go  through  the  Conference  to  secure 


76  HISTORY   OF 

contributions.  Failure  at  Wilbraham  would  prove  a  sad 
blow  to  the  cause  of  education  in  the  Methodist  Church. 
This  experiment  was  the  forlorn  hope.  What  was  lost 
at  Newmarket  must  be  regained  here.  To  insure  such 
success,  all  the  available  resources  of  the  denomination 
would  be  needed,  especially  when  we  remember  that 
the  whole  at  that  date  was  not  large. 

In  the  inexperience  of  most  of  the  parties  in  educa- 
tional matters,  we  find  valid  ground  for  this  solicitude. 
Of  those  who  had  tried  their  hand  at  Newmarket,  only 
Colonel  Binney  entered  the  new  board.  The  others 
were  green  men.  The  board  of  instruction  had  little 
more  experience  than  that  of  trust.  Wilbur  Fisk  was, 
as  yet,  untried  as  an  educator.  The  great  hopes  he 
had  inspired  as  a  preacher,  he  was  liable  to  disappoint 
in  the  department  of  education.  In  a  word,  all  was  as 
yet  experiment.  The  experiment  was  indeed  being  tried 
with  fresh  courage  and  hope ;  men  were  hold  of  it  who 
did  not  intend  to  fail ;  and  yet  it  was  still  an  experi- 
ment which  could  be  carried  on  to  success  only  by  the 
zeal,  liberality  and  tireless  exertions  of  preachers  and 
la}' men. 

As  at  Newmarket,  the  early  curriculum  at  Wilbra- 
ham was  quite  broad  and  generous.  "  The  Plan  "  con- 
tained an  embryo  college,  agricultural  college  and 
theological  seminary;  Greek,  Latin,  Hebrew,  the  prin- 
ciples of  agriculture  and  mechanics,  were  to  be  taught 
as  well  as  the  studies  appropriate  to  the  seminary.  All 
this,  however,  was  but  a  dream,  which  was  to  vanish  as 
the  hand  of  a  practical  New  England  educator  came 
to  the  control.  It  was  soon  to  be  learned  that  the 
academy  could  do  best  by  attending  to  its  legitimate 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  77 

business.  In  this  respect,  Wilbraham  was  to  be  in 
advance  of  Newmarket.  But  co-education  was  here  to 
receive  fresh  illustration  and  emphasis.  If  in  other 
respects,  the  school  drew  closer  to  New  England  usage, 
in  this  it  was  to  depart  from  it.  Here  woman  was  to 
be  in  favor,  and  to  enjoy  the  same  educational  advan- 
tages as  man.  Co-education  was  not  then  in  the 
vogue.  Wilbraham  was  to  do  something  to  effect  the 
change  in  public  sentiment  realized  in  our  day.  In  the 
school  as  in  the  church,  the  sexes  were  to  have  a 
common  platform  of  opportunity.  The  success  of  the 
experiment  for  more  than  a  half  century  has  established 
the  practice. 

To  secure  additional  funds,  John  Lindsay,  in  the 
fall  of  1824,  scoured  New  England  from  the  Green 
Mountains  to  the  ocean,  and  from  Canada  to  Long 
Island  Sound.  Besides  stirring  the  preachers  to 
renewed  activity  in  securing  subscriptions,  he  made  a 
large  number  of  popular  addresses  himself  with  the 
same  end  in  view.  The  result  was  very  encouraging. 
The  amount  of  subscriptions  was  $2,874.  Adding 
this  amount  to  the  $2,693  secured  in  Wilbraham  and 
vicinity,  we  have  the  handsome  sum  of  $5,567,  as  a 
fund  for  beginning  at  the  new  foundation.  Seventeen 
persons  contributed  fifty  dollars  each,  two  forty  dollars 
apiece,  the  rest  was  in  smaller  sums,  from  twenty-five 
dollars  down  to  one  dollar.  As  in  other  instances,  the 
preachers,  with  their  meager  salaries,  were  leading  con- 
ributors,  several  touching  the  highest  figure.  On  Mr. 
Lindsay's  paper  there  was  no  name  with  more  than  one 
hundred  dollars  while  on  the  Wilbraham  paper  were 
several  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  each,  In 


78  HISTORY  OF 

both  instances,  the  contributions  were  liberal,  for  a 
time  when  money  was  less  plenty  than  now. 

The  Conference  of  1824  met  at  Barnard,  Vt.  The 
committee  on  the  Academy  reported  that  the  school  at 
Newmarket  had  closed  and  that  a  charter  and  consider- 
able subscriptions  had  been  obtained  for  the  new 
foundation  at  Wilbraham.  The  committee  favored  the 
enterprise.  But  there  were  those  in  the  body  unfavor- 
able. They  expressed  doubts  as  to  the  feasibility  of  the 
undertaking.  One  failure  had  been  made,  and  another 
was  likely  to  come.  The  indications  of  providence 
were  that  the  Methodists  should  devote  themselves  to 
evangelization,  depending  on  the  public  schools  and  the 
institutions  of  other  denominations  for  educational 
advantages,  until  our  people  should  increase  in  numbers 
and  resources.  Such  was  the  expression  of  the  more 
timid  men. 

The  leading  minds  and  the  large  majority  took  a 
more  hopeful  view.  Aware  of  the  difficulties  of  the 
enterprise  and  the  sacrifices  necessary  to  bring  it  to 
completion,  they  were  prepared  to  cooperate  to  the 
fullest  extent  with  the  new  management.  Under  the 
inspiration  of  these  courageous  words,  the  Conference 
voted,  by  an  overwhelming  majority,  to  "  patronize  the 
institution,"  'kto  solicit  donations  in  all  the  circuits  and 
stations,"  and  "to  use  their  influence  to  assist  any 
agent  of  the  trustees  in  securing  subscriptions  for  the 
Academy  at  Wilbraham."  The  pledge  here  given  was 
amply  redeemed.  John  Lindsay  found  the  preachers 
ready  to  aid  in  word  and  deed.  The  faint  show  of 
opposition  at  the  Conference  totally  disappeared  and 
the  cause  moved  on  to  triumph. 


THE    WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY. 


79 


APPENDIX  TO   CHAPTER   IX. 

To  those  curious  about  the  beginnings  of  an  institu- 
tion, which  has  proved  serviceable  to  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation, the  first  subscription  among  the  citizens  of 
Wilbraham  may  have  an  interest.  The  names  and 
amounts  subscribed  are  here  given. 


Calvin  Brewer 
Timothy  Brewer    . 
Stephen  Utley 
Levi  Bliss 
Elisha  Burr     . 
Andrew  Brewer 
Asa  Olmstead 
William  Knight      . 
Giles  Smith    . 
Benjamin  Edrow    . 
Jonathan  Stickland 
Horace  King  . 
James  Buckland    . 
Sam.  B.  Goddard  . 
Calvin  Eaton  . 
Pliny  Cadwell,  Jr.. 
Isaac  Morris   . 
Simeon  Sanborn     . 
Charles  Stearns 
Oliver  B.  Morris     . 
Asa  Wood 
Hubbard  Gardner 
S.  F.  Dunham 
Luther  K.  Kilburn 
David  Shepard 
John  Bliss 
John  Glover  . 
Ethan  Warner 
Abel  Bliss 
William  Brewer,  Jr. 
Luther  Brewer 
Jesse  Rice 


$150.00 

150,00 

75.00 

20.00 

25.00 

20.00 

50.00 

20.00 

10.00 

2.00 

15.00 

5.00 

20.00 

5.00 

5.00 

5.00 

2.00 

10.00 

10.00 

5.00 

5.00 

15.00 

8.00 

5.00 

10.00 

5.00 

10.00 

30.00 

175.00 

150.00 

150.00 

100.00 


80 


HISTORY  OF 


Abraham  Avery 
Henry  Brewer 
William  Clark 
Samuel  F.  Merrick 
Moses  Burt     . 
John  Brewer  . 
James  Brewer 
William  Bridge 
John  Bliss,  2d. 
Fred  Stebbins 
Noah  Merrick 
Lewis  Foster  . 
Elizur  Bates    . 
Philip  F.  Aspinwall 
John  Billings 
Zera  Wait 
Joseph  Bullard 
Jonathan  Ely 
Pyncheon  Bliss 
Aaron  Woodard     . 
Jonathan  Burr 
William  Tupper 
Gideon  Kibble 
Pliny  Cadwell 
John  Carpenter 


$100.00 
100.00 
100.00 
50.00 
50.00 
50.00 
50.00 
40.00 
40.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
20.00 
20.00 
20.00 
15.00 
15.00 
10.00 
10.00 
10.00 
10.00 
5.00 
5.00 


The  reader  will  recognize  in  the  above  the  leading 
names  in  Wilbraham,  many  of  which  remain  to  this 
day.  The  Brewers  were  the  most  numerous,  and  con- 
tributed liberally  to  the  funds  of  the  new  Academy ; 
while  the  Bliss  and  Merrick  families  were  influential 
and  in  sympathy  with  the  efforts  of  the  period  for  edu- 
cation. Some  of  the  names  have  utterly  disappeared 
from  the  town. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  81 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  ERECTION  OF  THE  ACADEMY   EDIFICE. 

IN  their  meeting  on  January  5,  1825,  the  trustees 
expressed  their  conviction  that  the  time  had  fully 
come  to  begin  preparations  for  building  and  opening 
the  Academy.  Their  available  funds  now  amounted  to 
$5,567.  Though  not  enough  to  complete  the  re- 
quired buildings,  this  sum  would  enable  them  to  begin, 
and  the  beginning  would  stimulate  the  liberality  of 
those  interested  in  the  cause.  To  improve  the  finances, 
John  Lindsay  was  retained  as  agent  to  collect  funds, 
and  Wilbur  Fisk  was  requested  to  prepare  an  address 
to  the  public  in  aid  of  the  Academy. 

At  the  trustee  meeting  May  17,  1825,  Fisk  acknowl- 
edged the  receipt  for  the  Academy  of  $303,  and  Lindsay 
of  $637.67.  At  the  same  meeting,  the  Rev.  ^imothy 
Merritt  and  the  Rev.  Joseph  A.  Merrill  were  chosen 
trustees,  raising  the  number  to  eleven. 

Timothy  Merritt,  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and 
marked  ability,  was  born  in  Barkhamstead,  Ct,  Octo- 
ber, 1775,  and  died  in  Lynn,  May  2,  1845.  Converted 
in  1792,  he  joined  the  itinerancy  in  1796.  Locating 
iu  1803,  he  reentered  the  Conference  in  1817.  He 
held  several  important  charges.  In  1832  he  was  chosen 


82  HISTORY  OP 

assistant  editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate  and  served 
four  years.  As  a  preacher,  theologian  and  writer,  he 
displayed  superior  ability  and  was  honored  among  his 
brethren.  He  was  a  highly  devout  man  and  delighted 
to  unfold,  with  the  pen  and  in  the  pulpit,  the  Wesleyan 
doctrine  of  perfect  love.  A  man  of  meek  and  quiet 
spirit,  of  pure  thoughts,  elevated  purpose  and  evangeli- 
cal labors,  he  was  an  example  of  whatever  is  excellent 
and  of  good  report.  In  the  cause  of  education  he  felt 
a  deep  interest,  and  joined  his  brethren  in  efforts  to 
found  and  sustain  the  Wesleyan  Academy.  He  re- 
mained a  trustee  until  1837. 

Joseph  A.  Merrill,  a  distinguished  member  of  the 
New  England  Conference,  was  born  at  Newbuiy,  Mass., 
November  22,  1785,  arid  died  in  Wilbraham,  July  22, 
1849.  Joining  Conference  in  1807,  he  held  many  im- 
portant charges,  including  Boston,  Cambridge,  Salem, 
and  the  Vermont,  New  London,  Providence  and  Spring- 
field Districts.  In  1819  he  served  as  a  missionary  in 
New  Hampshire  under  the  auspices  of  the  Lynn  Mis- 
sionary Society,  the  earliest  organization  of  the  kind  in 
the  Methodist  Church,  and  acted  as  financial  agent  for 
the  Newmarket  Seminary.  He  was  trustee  for  the 
Academy  at  Newmarket  and  Wilbraham,  and  also  for 
the  Wesleyan  University.  As  a  preacher  and  adminis- 
trator, he  stood  high  among  his  brethren  and  was  very 
useful  to  the  denomination.  Though  a  self-made  man 
he  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  and 
did  much  to  promote  it  in  his  own  church.  In  the 
long  struggle  on  slavery,  he  stood  with  the  most 
advanced  abolitionists  in  the  Conference,  without 
yielding  to  the  temptation  to  leave  the  church.  As 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  83 

a  presiding  elder,  he  was  judicious  and  energetic,  with 
a  good  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs. 

In  preceding  to  build,  the  first  thing  was  the  selection 
of  a  site.  The  committee  found  no  trouble  in  securing 
proposals;  everybody  was  ready  to  sell.  Avery,  Bliss, 
Calvin  Brewer — we  know  not  how  many  others  — 
offered  their  places  for  sale;  but  the  committee  were 
in  no  haste.  In  the  minds  of  the  committee,  Calvin 
Brewer's  place,  next  the  store  had  the  preference.  It 
was  central  in  the  village,  attractive  in  its  surroundings 
and  had  a  fine  outlook  towards  both  the  plain  and  hill, 
with  ample  grounds  for  buildings.  Sixty-five  acres  in 
this  beautiful  locality  for  $3,500  was  not  high.  Could 
they  do  better?  They  doubted.  They  made  further 
search  in  the  vicinity,  coming  back  each  time  to  this 
spot.  The  committee  is  ordered  to  close  the  bargain. 
The  papers  are  drawn  up — sixty-five  acres  for  $3,500! 
But  there  is  many  a  slip.  The  bargain  was  nearly 
closed  —  the  owner  thought  it  was  closed  —  when  the 
committee  began  to  hesitate  and  inquire.  They  looked 
at  the  Brown  farm  and  the  Merrick  farm  with  some 
longing,  only  to  return  to  the  Brewer  place.  The 
board  ordered  the  deeds  "  to  be  executed  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  a  third  party  until  April  when  the  trustees 
may  have  the  option  of  taking  them  and  paying  there- 
for, should  they  be  unable,  meantime,  to  effect  a  pur- 
chase of  the  Merrick  farm."  The  purchase  of  the 
Merrick  farm  was  not  effected.  The  Brewer  trade 
also  failed,  which  proved  so  great  a  grief  to  the  owner 
that  he  applied  to  the  trustees  for  damages.  But  the 
arbitrators  to  whom  the  matter  was  referred  exoner- 
ated the  committee  of  the  board. 


84  HISTORY  OF 

Meantime,  light  dawned  in  another  quarter.  Wil- 
liam Rice  saw  that  the  old  Warriner  place  furnished  an 
eligible  site  for  the  Academy  ;  and  he  pursuaded  David 
and  Charles  Warriner  to  sell  to  the  trustees,  a  lot  of 
about  three  acres  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  in  which 
he,  through  his  wife,  held  an  equal  interest  with  the 
brothers,  which  he  donated  to  the  trustees.  The  War- 
riners  acceded  to  the  proposal  of  Mr.  Rice  the  more 
readily  as  they  hoped  by  this  location  of  the  Academy 
to  appreciate  the  value  of  their  other  lands.  The  offer 
was  accepted  by  the  trustees,  and  the  question  of 
definite  location  was  thus  finally  settled.  The  lot  was 
a  meadow,  forming  part  of  the  plain  as  it  touches  a 
spur  from  the  hills.  On  the  head  of  the  spur,  at  an 
elevation  of  about  forty  feet  above  the  plain,  it  was 
determined  to  locate  the  new  edifice.  Few  spots  are 
more  delightful.  On  all  sides  the  views  are  charming. 
To  the  west  lies  outspread  the  beautiful  valley ;  to  the 
east,  the  mountain  chain  rises  and  extends  in  full  view 
with  mingled  beauty  and  grandeur;  while  to  the  north, 
in  the  foreground  is  a  cheerful  grove  of  oak  and  chest- 
nut, and  in  the  distance  an  agreeable  variety  of  broken 
lands.  As  the  chosen  dwellingplace  of  science,  art 
and  letters,  the  locality  is  most  fitting  and  attractive. 
The  page  here  lying  open  in  the  huge  volume  of  nature 
so  picturesque  and  delightful,  is  adapted  to  inspire  all 
students  with  a  love  of  whatever  is  healthful,  attractive 
and  fascinating  in  the  works  of  the  Creator.  The 
place  itself  is  a  study,  which  has  not  failed  to  impress 
all  students  who  have  made  pilgrimages  to  that  shrine 
of  learning. 

Meantime,  the   committee   on  plans  had  decided  to 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  85 

recommend  "  a  building  of  brick  sixty-five  by  thirty- 
five,  with  two  stories,  ten  and  twelve  feet,  divided  into 
one  large  and  two  small  rooms  below  ;  one  large  hall, 
forty-one  by  thirty-five  feet,  and  four  drawing-rooms 
above  with  two  flights  of  stairs,  the  basement  story  to 
be  eight*  feet  deep  with  stairway  at  each  end  and 
necessary  windows  and  doors."  The  report  was  ac- 
cepted by  the  trustees. 

William  Rice,  Calvin  Brewer  and  Abel  Bliss  were 
chosen  as  a  committee  to  issue  proposals  and  award  the 
contracts  for  the  building  "  to  be  completed  previous  to 
the  first  day  of  September  next,  and  to  advise  with  and 
aid  the  superintendent  in  completing  the  same,"  accord- 
ing to  the  plan  and  drawings  furnished  by  Enoch 
Mudge,  and  in  harmony  with  the  vote  of  the  trustees. 
Janes  &  Potter  secured  the  job  for  the  stonework,  and 
Waite  &  Brainard  that  for  the  woodwork.  The  work 
was  at  once  begun  and  pushed  with  energy ;  but  what 
was  to  be  completed  on  the  first  of  September  was 
hardly  in  readiness  for  occupancy  November  8th,  the 
day  of  opening. 

If  we  may  credit  tradition,  the  building  was  com- 
pleted without  a  cupola.  Though  ordered  in  the  plan, 
the  matter  was  forgotten  by  the  builders,  who  may 
have  thought  such  an  institution  required  sense  rather 
than  sound.  The  deficiency  was  not  supplied  until  the 
ensuing  spring.  As  a  support  for  the  bell,  a  couple  of 
crotched  posts  were  erected  on  the  east  side  of  the 
building  and  upon  the  cross  beam  was  suspended  the 
piece  of  sounding  brass,  brought  from  the  old  Academy 
at  Newmarket.  The  first  bell-ringer  was  D.  J.  Robin- 
son, who  used  a  string  to  move  the  tongue.  In  this 


86  HISTORY  OF 

way,  the  first  year  was  so  grandly  rung  out  that  the 
bell  was  elevated  to  a  higher  position. 

At  its  completion,  the  Academy  stood  awkwardly 
perched  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  high  up  in  the  air 
without  means  of  easy  access.  To  give  it  a  comely 
appearance,  much  grading  was  required.  This  work 
was  assigned  to  Abraham  Avery,  who  arranged  the 
terraces  and  placed  the  flights  of  stone  steps  very  much 
as  they  now  appear.  As  the  space  was  then  bare  of 
trees,  the  building  stood  out  in  bold  relief.  The  trees 
then  planted  along  the  terraces  have  converted  the 
spot  into  a  beautiful  grove,  fresh  with  the  breath  of 
nature  and  joyous  with  the  music  of  birds. 

Though  without  marked  architectural  attractions, 
this  venerable  building  is  characterized  by  plain  taste 
and  adaptation  to  use,  making  a  respectable  appearance 
after  the  lapse  of  more  than  sixty  years  and  amid  the 
more  elegant  structures,  which  have,  in  the  meantime, 
been  reared  around  it.  In  its  day,  it  was  a  marvel  of 
propriety  and  even  beaut}r.  The  town  had  nothing  so 
good.  The  Methodists  of  New  England  had  nothing 
better.  At  first,  the  solitary  building  of  the  institution, 
it  was  used  for  all  purposes  — -  chapel,  dormitory,  class- 
rooms and  laboratory.  The  basement  was  at  first 
partitioned  off  into  class-rooms  and  dormitories,  and 
afterwards  thrown  into  a  single  room,  often  used  for  a 
chapel.  The  first  story  is  entered  by  high  steps  on  the 
south,  under  which  stairs  descend  to  the  basement, 
with  an  opposite  pair  on  the  north  side.  The  gentle- 
men entered  on  the  south  and  the  ladies  on  the  north. 
The  first  story  was  divided  into  two  rooms.  The  east 
one  was  used  for  chapel  and  recitation  room.  Here  all 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  87 

met  for  morning  prayers  and  the  younger  members 
remained  to  study.  After  the  school  got  under  way, 
this  arrangement  was  a  good  deal  modified.  The 
second  story  had  three  rooms,  with  a  lobby  where  the 
library  was  stowed  away  rather  than  kept.  The  west 
rooms  were,  at  first,  used  as  dormitories  and  later  as 
class-rooms.  The  east  room,  used  at  first  as  a  dormitory 
for  the  lads,  was  afterwards  taken  as  an  art-room  for 
the  ladies. 


HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER   XL 

THE   OPENING    OF   THE    ACADEMY    BY    WILBUR   FISK. 

IN  the  history  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  the  eighth 
of  November,  1825,  stands  as  a  red-letter  day.  The 
building  had  reached  completion.  The  friends  from  all 
sides  gathered  to  participate  in  the  dedicatory  services. 
The  day  marks  the  turn  of  the  tide  in  the  educational 
movement  in  the  Methodist  Church.  The  failures  in 
the  past,  so  grievously  afflictive  to  the  friends  of  edu- 
cation, were  not  to  be  repeated  at  Wilbraham.  "  The 
swing  of  victory "  was  in  the  new  enterprise.  The 
exultant  gladness  of  all  associated  in  the  work  was  a 
sure  prophecy  of  ultimate  success  in  the  great  under- 
taking in  which  they  were  engaged.  Difficulties  and 
struggles  there  might  be,  the  reenforcement  of  courage, 
felt  on  all  sides,  would  bear  them  bravely  through  them 
all  to  the  goal  of  assured  prosperity. 

The  opening  services  were  conducted  by  the  Rev. 
Wilbur  Fisk,  A.M.,  the  newly  chosen  principal,  a  young 
man  of  commanding  talents  and  growing  popularity. 
Dr.  Holdrich  (Life  p.  165)  says  he  was  elected  soon 
after  the  opening ;  the  records  show  that  he  was  chosen 
"President  of  the  Academy  with  power  to  appoint  such 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  89 

instructors  as  he  may  deem  expedient,"  September  28, 
1825.  more  than  a  month  before  the  opening.  As  he 
was  the  one  man  toward  whom  the  eyes  of  the  trustees 
had  been  turned  from  the  first,  as  a  wise  and  competent 
leader  in  education,  the  choice  was  unanimous  and 
without  debate.  No  other  name  was  mentioned.  He 
was  the  born  teacher  and  leader,  under  whose  manage- 
ment, it  was  felt,  the  Academy  must  prove  a  success. 

Wilbur  Fisk  came  of  good  New  England  stock.  If 
unrecognized  in  the  herald's  office,  his  ancestors  were 
rendered  illustrious  by  quiet  and  robust  virtues.  The 
blood  of  the  great  middle  class  of  England,  which  had 
stood  for  liberty,  had  settled  New  England  and  had 
done  most  to  found  the  American  Republic,  flowed  in 
their  veins.  The  first  of  the  name  in  America  are  found 
among  the  industrious  and  enterprising  settlers  of 
Rhode  Island.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject  owned 
and  commanded  a  coasting  vessel ;  but,  on  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Revolution,  he  settled  in  Guilford,  Vt. 
Isaiah  Fisk,  his  son,  married  Hannah  Bacon,  and  re- 
moved to  Brattleboro,  where  Wilbur,  named  for  his 
maternal  grandmother,  and  the  second  of  three  children, 
was  born  August  31,  1792.  The  brother  younger  died 
early,  and  the  sister  older  married  and  resided  near  her 
parents. 

Through  misfortunes  in  business,  Isaiah  Fisk  was 
induced  to  remove  to  Lyndon,  Vt.,  where  he  became  a 
prosperous  and  honored  citizen.  A  man  of  ability  and 
integrity,  lie  was  twice  chosen  *a  member  of  the  Council 
and  seventeen  times  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
He  was  also  justice  of  the  county.  In  all  these  posi- 
tions, his  public  record  was  without  a  stain.  Unlike 


90  &ISTORY  OF 

some  public  men,  he  did  not  make  himself  rich  on  the 
spoils  of  office.  The  home  life  of  Judge  Fisk  was 
equally  exemplary.  He  cherished  the  simple  virtues  of 
the  Puritans. 

In  the  delightful  home  of  Isaiah  and  Hannah  Fisk, 
who,  like  Zachariah  and  Elizabeth,  "  were  both  right- 
eous before  God,  walking  in  all  the  commandments  and 
ordinances  of  the  Lord  blameless,"  the  youth  of  the  son 
was  spent.  There  was  inspiration  in  such  a  family 
circle ;  the  father  and  mother  were  his  best  teachers, 
and  the  lad,  though  favored  with  few  educational  advan- 
tages outside,  exhibited  an  early  taste  and  aptitude  for 
learning.  Converted  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  he 
united  with  the  church  of  his  parents.  At  this  early  age, 
his  piety  was  ardent  and  constant,  and  his  rare  and  at- 
tractive gifts  became  at  once  conspicuous  in  the  class  and 
prayer  service,  leading  his  acquaintances  to  anticipate 
for  him  a  brilliant  future.  To  secure  better  advantages, 
he  attended  in  1808-9  the  Peacham  Grammar  School, 
where  he  began,  in'earnest,  preparation  for  college.  In 
1812  he  entered  the  sophomore  class  in  the  University  of 
Vermont;  but  the  suspension  of  the  University  the  next 
year,  on  account  of  the  disturbances  of  the  war,  occa- 
sioned his  removal  to  Brown  University,  from  which  he 
graduated  with  honor  in  1815. 

At  the  .close  of  his  college  course,  Fisk  began  the 
study  of  law.  The  failure  of  his  health,  while  tempo- 
rarily engaged  in  teaching,  occasioned  his  return  home 
for  rest.  Revived  by  the  deep  religious  interest  pre- 
vailing in  the  local  church,  he  determined  to  devote  his 
life  wholly  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Licensed  at 
Lyndon,  March  14,  1818,  he  joined  the  Conference  the 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  91 

ensuing  June.  He  was  stationed  at  Shaftsbury;  then 
at  Charlestown  where  he  was  greatly  successful.  At 
the  Wellfleet  Camp  Meeting  he  came  into  the  experi- 
ence of  perfect  love,  which  lent  new  attractiveness  to 
his  life.  In  1823,  he  was  appointed  Presiding  Elder  of 
the  Vermont  District,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  he  was 
chosen  two  years  later  to  preside  over  the  new  Academy 
at  Wilbrahiim.  Though  young  at  the  time,  his  superior 
talents,  ardent  devotion  and  harmony  of  character  gave 
him  a  firm  hold  upon  the  intelligence  and  affection  of 
the  church  at  large. 

In  order  to  bring  the  Academy  more  fully  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  people,  the  trustees  had  determined  to 
make  the  opening  an  occasion  of  popular  interest.  At 
their  request,  Mr.  Fisk  had  issued  a  circular  inviting 
the  whole  people  to  come.  The  day  was  favorable,  and 
at  the  hour  appointed  carriages  came  in  from  all  the 
country  round.  The  preachers  of  the  vicinity  were  out 
in  force.  The  hall  and  the  area  about  the  building 
were  crowded  with  a  deeply  interested  audience.  The 
religious  services  were  a  marked  and  interesting  feature 
of  the  occasion,  especially  the  prayer  offered  by  Alex- 
ander McLean,  a  local  preacher  of  Ludlow,  who  omit- 
ted nothing  in  his  petitions  pertinent  to  the  time  or 
occasion. 

But  the  grand  card  of  the  opening  was  the  address 
of  Wilbur  Fisk,  the  principal,  then  a  stranger  to  nearly 
everybody  in  the  audience.  But  the  reputation  of  the 
silver-tongued  orator  and  rising  leader  of  the  denomina- 
tion had  gone  before  him  and  induced  many  to  travel 
considerable  distances  that  morning  to  hear  him  speak. 
It  is  much  to  say  that,  in  their  sanguine  expectations, 


92  HISTORY  OF 

they  were  not  disappointed.  The  address,  abounding 
in  just  thought,  clearly  arranged  and  clothed  in  simple 
but  elegant  language  and  uttered  in  gentle  and  winning 
tones,  was  admirably  adapted  to  the  occasion.  Though 
written  hastily  in  pencil,  and  parts  of  it  in  his  carriage, 
the  address  was  admirably  thought  out  and  expressed. 
In  its  delivery  the  speaker  stood  in  the  south  entrance 
way,  so  as  to  be  heard  by  the  people  outside  as  well  as 
those  within. 

The  address  struck  the  key-note  for  the  rising  insti- 
tution. In  an  informal  and  unpretentious  way,  he 
noticed  the  design  of  the  foundation  and  disposed  of 
the  objections,  especially  of  our  less  intelligent  people, 
to  such  schools.  He  held  that  a  course  of  education 
was  designed  to  produce  habits  of  intellectual  labor, 
mental  discipline,  the  love  and  practice  of  method  in  the 
use  of  time  and  physical  exercise.  Above  all,  educa- 
tion should  elevate  the  moral  tone  and  lead  to  virtue 
and  practical  religion. 

"To  be  a  scholar  without  mental  application,"  he 
claims,  "is  as  much  impossible  as  to  be  a  mechanic 
without  handling  tools,  or  a  man  of  bodily  activity 
without  exercise.  Those  lecture  masters,  therefore,  that 
are  traveling  through  the  country,  with  their  symbols 
and  machines,  vainly  pretending  to  teach  some  of  the 
most  important  of  the  sciences  in  a  few  evenings,  are 
doing  serious  injury  to  the  literary  character  of  our 
country.  The  youth  who  wishes  to  be  a  gentleman,  a 
scholar  and  an  idler,  who,  in  short,  as  it  is  a  disgrace  to 
be  ignorant,  wishes  to  have  the  reputation  of  knowledge 
without  the  labor  of  acquiring  it,  gains  from  his  lecture 
master,  some  smattering  of  learning,  with  but  little 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  93 

more  application  of  mind  than  it  would  cost  him  to 
follow  the  different  parts  of  a  theatrical  exhibition.  In 
this  way,  he  runs  over  the  most  popular  branches  of 
science,  with,  to  say  the  most,  nothing  more  than  the  tin- 
sel of  literature.  It  possesses,  possibly,  some  brilliancy, 
but  little  or  no  utility.  His  literary  currency  is  like 
the  showy  bills  of  a  bank  with  empty  vaults.  He  talks 
much,  knows  little  and  thinks  less.  Thus  the  mind 
is  dissipated  instead  of  disciplined ;  and  the  degree  of 
learning  acquired  serves  only  to  swell  an  empty  head 
with  the  pride  and  vanity  of  supposed  knowledge.  This 
is  only  the  wind  of  science,  which  inflates  the  mind  and 
keeps  up  the  appearance  of  parts  and  dimensions,  while 
it  adds  little  of  weight  or  solidity  or  utility  to  the  char- 
acter. It  is,  in  truth,  worse  than  nothing,  because, 
without  it,  the  mind  in  appearance  shrivels  into  its  own 
real  insignificancy  and  thus  shows  the  necessity  of  some- 
thing more  solid." 

But  the  method  and  system  of  the  scholar,  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  time,  it  was  objected,  are  artificial  and  ill 
adapted  to  the  practical  pursuits  of  life.  The  reply  was 
happy.  "  The  merchant  has  his  regular  mode  of  doing 
business,  notwithstanding  the  variations  of  the  markets 
and  his  different  successes  and  losses.  The  mariner  has 
his  regular  course  and  his  fixed  system  of  making  his 
calculations  and  established  rules  by  which  he  turns  to 
the  best  possible  advantage  all  the  contrary  winds  and 
shifting  currents  in  his  voyage.  Indeed  the  changes 
and  adversities  to  which  he  is  subject,  make  it  more 
necessary  he  should  proceed  by  rule.  Without  this  he 
could  be  the  sport  of  every  wind,  and  be  driven  from 
his  course  by  every  current.  So  without  system  in  the 


94  HISTORY  OF 

voyage  of  life,  the  mind  of  man  will  be  driven  from  its 
course  and  away  from  its  object  by  all  the  various 
changes  of  time.  Instead,  therefore,  of  excusing  our- 
selves from  the  systematic  employment  of  time,  on 
the  ground  of  the  varieties  of  life,  this  should  be  the 
very  motive  to  incite  us  to  a  close  adherence  to  rule 
and  method,  that  we  may  make  the  most  of  a  short  and 
changing  life." 

But  the  gravest  objection  to  literary  institutions  was 
their  immoral  and  irreligious  tendency.  Too  often  had 
they  been  hot-beds  of  unbelief.  To  avoid  this,  he  held 
that  "morality  and  religion  should  make  a  part  of  the 
pupil's  instruction."  Something  of  the  care  and  over- 
sight of  the  home  should  be  found  in  the  school. 

But  while  strenuous  in  urging  the  importance  of 
religious  instruction  in  the  institution  lie  carefully 
guarded  gainst  an  evil  then  prevalent  in  many  Protestant 
as  well  as  Catholic  schools,  by  clearly  distinguishing  be- 
tween religion  and  denominationalism.  "By  religious 
instruction,"  he  continues,  "is  not  meant  teaching  the 
peculiar  tenets  of  a  party.  Literary  institutions  should 
not  be  prostituted  to  the  low  purposes  of  proselytism. 
This  would  not  be  to  make  Christians,  but  bigots.  But 
those  leading  principles  of  religion,  which  are  calculated 
to  make  the  heart  better,  should  be  inculcated ;  as  also 
those  practical  precepts  which  will  regulate  the  life. 
Nor  should  these  be  impressed  on  the  young  mind  in  an 
arbitrary  and  austere  manner.  But  the  ground  and  pro- 
priety of  what  is  enjoined  should  be  explained.  Our 
religion  is  a  reasonable  service,  and  this  its  true  charac- 
ter should  be  exhibited  to  the  young  as  soon  as  their 
reason  begins  to  dawn ;  -and  in  the  same  way  through 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  95 

all  the  succeeding  stages  of  religious  instruction,  should 
the  requirements  and  sanctions  of  the  divine  govern- 
ment illustrated,  until  they  commend  themselves  to  the 
understanding  and  conscience.  Such  a  course  of  reli- 
gious instruction,  pursued  with  judgment  and  care,  can 
hardly  fail  to  produce  its  designed  effect." 

The  value  of  the  careful  training  here  recommended 
was  illustrated  in  the  speaker  himself.  How  completely 
he  held  control  of  his  faculties  is  apparent  in  his  whole 
course.  He  knew  well  how  to  think,  because  he  had 
acquired  mental  discipline;  and  faculties  thus  held 
under  rein  were  at  his  service  on  all  occasions.  Better 
than  most  men,  he  could  think  on  his  feet,  and,  with  the 
utmost  facility,  adjust  himself  to  any  new  conditions. 
Though  an  admirable  extemporizer,  he  used  the  pen 
with  the  utmost  ease  and  elegance.  In  a  high  sense,  he 
was  a  rounded  and  complete  man,  well  adapted  to  lead 
in  the  education  of  youth. 

This  interesting  and  festive  occasion  was  rounded  out 
by  the  brilliant  illumination  of  the  new  building  in  the 
evening,  by  the  liberality  of  the  citizens,  who  felt  hardly 
less  interest  in  the  enterprise  than  the  trustees  them- 
selves. It  was  to  be  the  academy  of  the  people,  and 
in  its  inception  and  progress  the  whole  people  rejoiced. 
The  day  of  opening  will  remain  forever  memorable,  as 
marking  the  first  stage  in  the  progress  of  reconstruc- 
tion and  as  affording  fresh  inspiration  and  courage  for 
the  carrying  on  to  completion  the  great  enterprise. 


96  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE   FIRST  TERM   UNDER   NATHANIEL   DUNN. 

THOUGH  Fisk  had  been  selected  as  principal  and 
had  come  to  open  the  institution,  he  did  not  re- 
move to  Wilbraham  until  the  ensuing  spring.     In  his 
absence,  Mr.  Dunn,  who  had  been  chosen  as  a  teacher, 
conducted  the  affairs  of  the  Academy. 

Nathaniel  Dunn,  Jr.,  the  first  teacher  at  Wilbraham, 
was  born  in  Poland,  Me.,  January  29,  1800.  The 
family,  of  Scotch  descent,  came  in  with  the  first  settlers 
of  the  town.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Sarah 
Pulsifer,  of  Cape  Ann  stock.  Their  Maine  home  was 
in  the  wilderness,  a  sort  of  logging  camp.  Until  the 
age  of  sixteen,  constant  devotion  to  manual  labor  pre- 
vented his  attendance  at  school,  more  than  a  few  weeks 
in  winter.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  spent  twelve 
weeks  at  the  Hebron  Academy,  where  he  got  a  taste  of 
Latin  and  Greek.  On  his  return  home  to  the  farm,  he 
continued  his  studies,  as  he  could,  privately.  At  nine- 
teen his  preparation  for  college  was  completed  at  Gor- 
ham  Academy,  and  he  entered  Bowdoin  in  1822, 
graduating  with  good  standing  in  1826.  Prior  to 
graduation,  he  engaged  as  a  teacher  at  Wilbraham,  at 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  97 

a  salary  of  $400  and  board,  a  very  fair  compensation 
for  the  period  when  prices  ranged  low.  To  be  in  time, 
Mr.  Dunn  reached  Wilbraham  on  the  twenty-seventh 
of  September  and  waited  for  the  opening  of  the  school, 
which  was  somewhat  delayed  by  the  tardiness  of  the 
builders. 

The  November  term,  following  the  opening  on  the 
eighth,  was  brief  and  informal.  It  was  designed  to 
advertise  the  regular  winter  term  to  open  on  December 
5,  1825.  Of  course  the  attendance  during  the  initial 
term  was  not  expected  to  be  large.  The  school  opened 
with  seven  students,  all  residents  of  the  town.  It  may 
be  worth  while  to  give  their  names.  They  were : 
Lydia,  daughter  of  Henry  Brewer,  the  elder,  later  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Edward  N.  Colt,  of  Brooklyn,  N.Y. ;  Orlo 
M.  and  Louisa  Dormon,  who  removed  to  Ohio ;  Isaac 
Jennison,  Jr.,  a  devout  and  earnest  Christian  student, 
whose  early  death  was  widely  lamented;  Emily  Moseley, 
who  married  Simeon  Barden  ;  John  Wesley  Bliss,  son 
of  Hon.  Abel  Bliss,  and  his  sister  Nancy,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Rev.  William  Smith,  and,  after  his  death, 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Jesse  W.  Rice,  long  the  village  physi- 
cian. In  their  later  history,  the  members  of  this  class 
made  a  worthy  record  and  did  honor  to  the  institution. 

On  the  fifth  of  December,  the  regular  winter  term 
opened  with  hopeful  accessions  to  the  numbers.  During 
the  winter,  the  numbers  rose  fr6m  the  original  seven 
to  forty-four,  and  during  the  year  one  hundred  and  four 
different  students  were  in  attendance,  drawn  mostly 
from  the  town  and  vicinity. 

The  academic  year  was  divided  into  four  terms,  be- 
ginning with  the  first  Monday  of  September,  December, 


98  HISTORY  OF 

March  and  June.  The  fall  term  was  preceded  by  three 
weeks  of  vacation,  the  others  by  one  week  each.  On 
entering,  the  pupil  was  required  to  possess  a  knowledge 
of  reading,  spelling  and  the  four  simple  rules  of  arith- 
metic. None  were  admitted  under  ten  years  of  age. 
Most  of  the  early  students  were,  in  fact,  double  that  age. 
The  tuition  was,  for  the  English  branches,  three  dollars  ; 
Astronomy  and  the  higher  mathematics,  three  dollars 
and  fifty  cents;  Latin  and  Greek  four  dollars;  orna- 
mental branches,  five  dollars,  with  a  deduction  to  those 
devoting  only  a  part  of  the  time  to  these  studies. 
Among  the  text  books  were  Adam's  Latin  and  Good- 
rich's  Greek  Grammar ;  Liber  Primus  and  Jacobs's 
Greek  Reader ;  Stoughton's  Virgil ;  Clark's  Introduc- 
tion to  making  Latin ;  Blake's  Natural  Philosophy  ; 
Comstock's  Chemistry,  Day's  Algebra,  Blair's  Rhetoric, 
Hedge's  Logic,  Ingersoll's  English  Grammar,  Walker's 
Dictionary,  and  Scott's  Lessons  for  Reading.  These 
were  the  regulation  text  books  for  years.  The  course 
was  not  considered  perfect.  Some  of  the  managers 
inclined  to  broaden  the  school  into  a  seminary,  college 
and  theological  school,  all  in  one.  Fisk  long  had  a 
theological  class,  as  a  sort  of  extra,  to  aid  those  studying 
for  the  ministry ;  but  he  wisely  retained  the  Academy 
in  its  proper  lines  of  study. 

The  life  of  the  Academy,  during  the  winter  term  of 
1825-26,  was  extremely  simple  and  enjoyable.  Every 
thing  was  new  —  building,  teacher,  students  and 
methods  of  work.  As  the  students  were  drawn  from 
a  narrow  circle,  they  were,  in  most  instances  acquainted 
with  each  other.  They  came  almost  exclusively  from 
Methodist  families,  having  thus  an  additional  bond  of 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  99 

connection.  The  Academy  in  this  particular  was  not 
unlike  one  of  our  old  select  schools.  It  was  a  neigh- 
borhood institution,  rather  than  one  for  the  whole 
country.  The  students  were  mostly  young  ladies  and 
gentlemen  who  knew  how  to  behave  without  the  rigid 
enforcement  of  discipline.  They  came  for  the  purpose 
of  study  and  devoted  themselves  earnestly  to  this  one 
work.  Those  who  resided  in  town  boarded  at  home, 
and  those  from  other  towns  either  stopped  with  friends 
or  were  domiciled  in  hospitable  families  in  the  village. 
The  recitations  were  heard  in  the  east  room  of  the  first 
story,  where  also  the  pupils  remained  to  study  between 
recitations,  as  their  boarding  places  were  too  far  away 
for  them  to  return  until  the  close  of  the  session.  Mr. 
Dunn,  for  the  time  being  the  man  of  all-service,  was  a 
competent  and  enthusiastic  teacher,  able  to  instruct  in 
all  the  branches  then  studied  at  the  Academy.  The 
students  of  the  time  long  remembered  with  interest  and 
enthusiasm  the  incidents  of  that  first  winter.  It  was  a 
time  of  good  fellowship  and  rapid  progress  in  study. 
No  similar  advantages  had  hitherto  been  within  the 
reach  of  the  students  and  they  were  eager  to  improve 
them  to  the  utmost.  To  an  unusual  extent,  the  people 
of  the  village  participated  in  the  joyous  life  of  the 
institution.  Many  students  were  connected  with  their 
families,  and  even  strangers  were  made  to  feel  at  home 
in  the  little  community.  Several  of  the  leading  trustees, 
who  had  been  foremost  in  founding  the  institution, 
were  citizens  of  Wilbraham,  and  exerted  themselves  to 
add  to  it  every  element  of  prosperity.  As  a  result,  the 
school  was  for  many  years  peculiarly  homelike.  The 
student  was  made  to  feel,  that,  for  the  time,  he  was  in- 


100  HISTORY  OF 

corporated  into  and  had  become  an  integral  part  of  the 
community.  To  many  students  of  moderate  means, 
citizens  were  good  friends  and  helpers,  both  by  advice 
and  by  openings  to  save  or  earn  money  to  complete 
their  education. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  iOl 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ORGANIZATION   UNDER   WILBUR     FISK,    A.M. 

IN  the  spring  of  1826,  Principal  Fisk  removed  his 
family  to  Wilbraham,  and  thenceforth,  to  the  close 
of  his  term,  devoted  himself  wholly  to  the  duties  of 
his  position.  He  studied  the  situation  and  kept  a  con- 
stant outlook  over  the  whole  field.  Besides  the  school 
routine,  to  which  he  gave  careful  and  daily  attention, 
teaching  much  as  well  as  governing,  he  kept  a  hand 
upon  all  the  machinery. more  or  less  remotely  connected 
with  the  institution.  In  the  best  sense,  he  was  a  care- 
taker for  the  Academy.  If  the  institution  had  been  his 
own,  he  could  not  have  been  more  devoted  to  its 
interests,  or  have  labored  more  constantly  for  its  up- 
building. With  him  it  was  a  work  of  love  as  well  as 
duty;  he  did  it  for  Christ  and  the  church.  He  felt 
that  it  behooved  him  to  see  that  no  damage,  through 
his  agency,  came  to  the  institution  ;  but  rather  that  his 
administration  be'  so  excellent  as  to  demonstrate  the 
feasibility  of  maintaining  educational  institutions  in 
connection  with  his  own  church. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  trustees  on  May  16,  1826, 
(adjourned  to  June  5,)   afforded  opportunity  for  full 


102  HISTORY  OF 

consultation  with  the  members  of  the  board,  with  whom 
in  the  months  to  come  he  was  to  cooperate.  Enoch 
Mudge,  who  had  done  some  faithful  service  in  the 
cause,  resigned,  and  George  Pickering  was  chosen  in 
his  place,  but  he  declined  in  favor  of  John  W.  Hardy, 
who  was  chosen. 

Enoch  Mudge,  the  first  native  Methodist  preacher  in 
New  England,  and  a  leader  in  early  evangelistic  efforts, 
was  born  in  Lynn,  June  21, 1776,  and  died  there  April 
2,  1850.  He  was  converted  under  Lee,  and  united  with 
the  Conference  in  1793.  On  account  of  ill  health,  he 
located  in  1799  in  Orrington,  Me.,  where  he  remained 
until  1816.  During  this  time  he  was  twice  a  member 
of  the  legislature  and  was  influential  in  securing  the 
passage  of  the  "Religious  Freedom  Bill."  In  1816  he 
returned  to  the  itinerant  ranks  and  served  various 
important  churches  until  1832,  when  he  took  charge  of 
the  Seamen's  Bethel  at  New  Bedford,  serving  until  his 
health  failed,  twelve  years  later.  A  man  of  simple 
habits,  devout  spirit  and  popular  talents,  he  commanded 
universal  favor  and  love.  Distance  from  the  Academy 
was  the  reason  rendered  for  his  resignation. 

John  W.  Hardy,  the  new  member,  was  a  man  of 
some  ability,  but  austere  in  temper  and  arbitrary  in  his 
methods.  The  Rev.  John  Lindsay  was,  at  the  same 
meeting,  appointed  a  committee,  with  powers,  "  to  call 
upon  Benjamin  Mathe,ws,  Jr.,  treasurer  of  the  late  board 
of  trustees  of  the  Newmarket  Academy,  and  receive 
from  him  all  the  property,  or  balances  of  debt  and  notes 
and  give  receipt  and  discharge  therefor  and  to  transfer 
the  same  to  the  treasurer  of  this  board,  except  that  part 
of  notes  receivable,  now  unpaid,  which  was  subscribed 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  103 

and  given  to  the  Newmarket  Academy,  bj  persons 
residing  within  the  bounds  of  the  Maine  Conference, 
which  notes  he  is  authorized  to  deliver  over  to  the 
treasurer,  or  legal  agent  of  the  Wesleyan  Seminary  at 
Readfield,  first  receiving  from  such  treasurer,  or  agent, 
the  interest  which  had  accrued  on  these  notes  and 
unpaid  up  to  the  date  when  the  Newmarket  Academy 
ceased  its  operations,  December  30,  1823."  At  the 
November  meeting,  Mr.  Lindsay  reported  that  "he  had 
received  and  handed  over  to  the  treasurer  notes  to  the 
amount  of  $889.41  and  gave  to  B.  Mathews  an  obliga- 
tion to-  pay  him  all  claims  due  to  him  from  said 
Academy."  He  also  reported  a  list  of  nofes  running 
to  the  Academy  to  the  amount  of  nine  hundred  dollars. 
At  the  same  time,  the  Conference,  the  fast  friend  of 
the  Academy,  was  urged  to  afford  further  aid.  The 
session  of  that  year  (1826)  was  held  in  Wilbraham. 
The  preachers  were  requested  to  use  their  best  exertions 
to  circulate  subscriptions  and  obtain  funds  for  the 
Academy.  As  an  encouragement,  one  third  of  the 
amounts  collected  was  to  be  used  for  educating  and 
boarding  the  children  of  preachers.  Through  Mr.  Fisk, 
the  cooperation  and  aid  of  other  Conferences  also  were 
solicited.  He  was  favorably  received  by  the  New  York 
Conference,  which  deputed  Tobias  Spicer  to  meet  the 
trustees ;  and  the  trustees,  on  their  part,  proposed  to 
allow  New  York  to  appoint  a  minority  of  the  trustees. 
Though  Spicer  went  back  well  pleased,  we  hear  no 
more  of  the  proposition.  The  application  to  the  Phil- 
adelphia Conference  also  fell  to  the  ground.  In  this 
matter  the  New  England  Conference  plans  were  the 
only  ones  which  bore  fruit.  George  Pickering  was 


104  HISTORY  OF 

appointed  Conference  agent,  and  reported  later,  collec- 
tions on  the  subscriptions  taken  by  John  Lindsay,  $231 ; 
others  handed  him  for  collection  $550 ;  new  subscriptions, 
$1,919,  making  a  total  of  $2,700.  For  his  services  and 
traveling  expenses,  Pickering  received  $440.47,  leaving 
a  net  balance  for  the  treasury  of  $2,259.53. 

At  the  above  annual  meeting  of  the  board  (June  5,) 
Fisk  was  continued  as  Principal  with  "  an  allowance 
for  his  table  expenses,  house  rent,  use  of  furniture,  fuel 
and  quarterage  as  a  Methodist  preacher."  Nathaniel 
Dunn  was  also  continued  as  teacher  at  his  old  salary. 
As  the  first  preceptress  of  the  Academy,  they  chose 
Miss  Charlotte  Tillinghast,  a  young  lady  of  rare  quali- 
ties of  mind  and  heart  and  admirably  adapted  for  the 
training  of  youth.  Her  salary  was  to  be  two  hundred 
dollars  per  annum.  Though  she  served  but  part  of  a 
year,  the  memory  of  her  virtues  and  good  deeds  is  still 
fresh. 

Miss  Tillinghast  was  born  in  Providence  in  1804,  and 
died  in  1839.  In  1822  she  was  happily  converted 
under  the  labors  of  Maffit  and  united  with  the  church. 
In  the  schools  of  her  native  city,  she  was  finely  educated, 
exhibiting,  at  an  early  day,  literary  taste  and  aptitude. 
In  the  early  numbers  of  Zioris  Herald  may  be  found 
several  of  her  articles  on  literary  and  artistic  subjects. 
In  drawing  and  painting,  also,  she  took  great  delight. 
Her  largest  triumph  at  Wilbraham  was  the  capture  of 
Dunn,  the  two  being  united  in  marriage  in  the  autumn 
of  her  first  year.  The  bright  opening  of  her  life  was 
followed  by  years  of  decline  and  sickness,  but  the  close 
was  tranquil  and  beautiful.  "  Before  the  spring 
returns,"  she  said,  "  I  shall  pass  away."  On  awaking 


THE   WESLEYAN   ACADEMY.  105 

from  sleep,  she  said,  "  I  am  going.*'  With  a  song  and 
a  shout,  the  purified  soul  ascended  to  the  skies. 
Always  calm,  patient,  intelligent  and  sincerely  pious, 
she  held  easy  sway  over  her  puplis. 

With  some  adverse  experiences,  Fisk's  first  year  at 
Wilbraham  was  fairly  prosperous.  On  the  7th  of  July 
he  wrote :  "  Our  school  has  filled  up  beyond  our 
expectations,  having  increased  since  the  term  com- 
menced to  about  seventy-five,  fifty  of  whom  are 
inmates  of  the  boarding  house.  These  are  all  enjoying 
a  good  course  of  instruction,  under  the  tuition  of  Mr. 
Dunn  in  the  male  department,  with  such  monitors  as 
he  has  enlisted  for  his  assistance,  -ind  Miss  Tillinghast 
in  the  female  department.  The  students  are  generally 
well  behaved,  diligent  and  easily  governed." 

In  regulating  the  social  life  of  the  school,  ^Ir.  Fisk 
was  peculiarly  happy.  Without  indulging  license,  he 
allowed  large  liberty  to  the  pupils,  encouraging  the 
maintenance  of  a  cheerful  and  buoyant  temper.  As 
they  were  to  live  in  society,  in  later  years,  he  thought 
it  not  less  important  to  shape  and  cultivate  their  man- 
ners than  to  train  the  intellect.  To  this  end,  each 
Wednesday  evening  was  devoted  to  a  social  interview. 
In  giving  shape  to  these  gatherings,  he  was  aided  by 
the  stewardess.  Teachers  and  trustees  with  their  fam- 
ilies, as  well  as  students,  were  admitted.  "  After  the 
tea  had  been  handed  round,  some  time  was  spent  in 
social  conversation,  and  the  interview  was  closed  with 
devotion  about  nine  o'clock.  The  design  of  this  was 
to  accustom  the  students  to  move  in  society,  and  to 
improve  their  manners  and  social  feelings,  to  teach  to 
unite  the  amenities  of  life  with  the  gravity,  dignity 


106  HISTORY  OF 

and  ^useful  aims  of  a  graceful  piety.  These  little 
attentions  to  the  manners  and  feelings  of  his  scholars 
tended  to  secure  public  favor  and  promote  the  interests 
of  the  school.  The  scholars  were  a  happy  circle, 
usually  very  much  attached  to  each  other  as  well  as  to 
their  instructors."  * 

Fisk  was  a  kindly,  though  rigid  disciplinarian.  The 
household  was  his  model  —  authority  softened  by  love. 
The  mastery  of  the  heart  was  the  secret  of  his  govern- 
ment; his  students  loved  him.  Many  teachers  have  been 
revered  and  honored  by  their  pupils  ;  few  have  been  so 
long  and  tenderly  remembered  as  Wilbur  Fisk.  As 
time  has  passed,  they  have  realized  more  and  more  how 
wise  were  his  counsels  and  how  admirably  suited  his 
guidance  to  the  conditions  into  which  they  were  to 
enter.  JTo  call  out  these  better  feelings  and  purposes, 
to  arouse  and  shape  the  higher  nature  for  the  great 
work  of  life  and  the  exalted  destiny  beyond,  rather 
than  to  impart  a  little  formal  knowledge,  was,  in  his 
view,  the  design  of  education.  The  minor  duty,  indeed 
was  not  neglected  ;  the  major  was  kept  in  view  and 
emphasized.  Ruling  by  alliance  with  the  better 
elements  in  human  nature,  he  seldom  found  occasion 
to  resort  to  the  severer  methods  of  discipline. 

At  the  same  time  his  government  was  utterly  re- 
moved from  weakness  and  vacillation.  The  reins  were 
held  with  a  firm,  though  gentle  hand.  Order  and  a 
due  subordination  to  authority  were  among  the  primary 
laws  of  the  institution,  obedience  to  which  was  usually 
secured  by  an  appeal  to  the  sentiments  of  propriety, 
manliness,  justice  and  generosity.  To  cultivate  a 

»  Holdich.    Life  of  Wilbur  Fisk.  p.  181. 


PHE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  10? 

.spirit  of  kindness  and  subordination,  the  soft  glove  was 
extended,  but  there  was  an  iron  hand  within,  which 
was  sure  to  be  used  on  occasion.  Faith  in  the  use  of 
the  rod  yet  held  sway  among  educators  in  New 
England.  The  regimen  of  Solomon  had  not  given 
place  to  the  sentimentality  of  modern  discipline. 

For  the  punishment  of  obstinate  persons,  a  peniten- 
tiary and  a  dungeon  —  peculiar  educational  institutions, 
— located  in  the  basement,  were  provided.  The  former 
was  a  small  enclosure  with  a  gleam  of  light  and  a  seat 
for  culprits  who  might  be  cast  into  this  dismal  place. 
This  was  designed  for  more  salvable  cases ;  for  the  more 
incorrigible  was  the  dungeon,  about  eight  feet  square, 
without  seat  or  light.  In  total  darkness  and  without 
accommodations  for  sitting  or  lying  down,  the  culprit 
received  his  food  through  a  slide  six  or  eight  inches 
square.  One  trial  was  usually  enough.  Dr.  Charles 
Adams  used  to  tell  of  one,  who,  on  receiving  his  sen- 
tence to  the  dungeon,  sprang  from  his  seat,  leaped 
through  the  door  and  ran  like  a  deer  to  the  boarding 
house.  He  was  returned  only  by  the  main  strength  of 
the  rescuers. 

The  principal  was  usually  equal  to  whatever  he 
undertook.  In  one  instance,  a  student  was  too  much 
for  him.  The  lad  had  often  offended  ;  and  after  many 
private  reproofs,  he  was  ordered  to  prepare  for  a  flog- 
ging the  next  morning  in  the  presence  of  the  school. 
At  the  usual  hour,  the  students  assembled  in  the  east 
room  for  prayers.  The  Bible  was  read  and  the  usual 
devotions  gone  through.  Notices  for  the  day  were 
given.  All  was  silent  expectation.  The  culprit  was 
called  to  the  middle  of  the  floor,  the  ladies  being  on 


108  HISTORY  OF 

one  side,  and  the  gentlemen  on  the  other.  After  a 
short  address  to  the  students,  on  the  virtues  of  good 
order  and  attention  to  the  rules  of  the  school,  he 
expressed  the  opinion  that  it  was  necessary  to  inflict 
punishment  upon  the  offender.  Order,  he  insisted, 
must  be  maintained  at  whatever  cost.  The  entire 
company  began  to  feel  the  seriousness  of  the  situation. 
The  gentlemen  looked  sober  ;  the  ladies,  in  some 
instances  shed  tears,  or  buried  their  faces  in  their 
handkerchiefs.  The  only  one  in  the  company  really  at 
ease  was  the  prisoner  in  the  dock.  At  the  close  of  his 
address,  Fisk  took  his  well-prepared  birch  from  the 
left  hand  where  it  had  been  quietly  held,  and  raising 
it  high  in  the  air,  he  brought  it  down  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  offender,  who  strangely  remained 
unmoved.  Another  and  another  blow  followed  with 
no  better  effect.  The  hollow  sound,  produced  by  the 
birch,  raised  the  suspicion  that  something  was  amiss. 
The  faces  on  either  side  of  the  room  began  to  light  up 
with  fresh  animation.  The  great  pedagogue  began  to 
mistrust  that  he  was  "sold." 

But  seldom  was  he  unequal  to  an  occasion,  and  he 
did  not  propose  to  be  then.  The  boy  was  ordered  to 
doff  his  coat;  and  the  order  was  obeyed.  Thwack, 
thwack,  again,  with  the  same  pasteboardy  sound,  and 
without  sensible  impression  on  the  lad,  save  a  roguish 
twinkle  of  the  eye.  The  school  was  now  in  good 
humor,  but  the  principal  was  in  a  position  of  extreme 
embarrassment.  The  vest  was  ordered  removed  only 
to  reveal  another,  and  another.  The  nether  one  was 
ordered  off,  when  down  came  Greenleaf's  large  Atlas- 
shaped  Grammar  upon  the  floor  amid  a  roar  of  laughter 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  109 

from  the  whole  school.  Observing  the  rapid  growth  of 
the  youngster's  limbs,  he  took  hold  of  his  pants  and 
said,  "  What  is  under  them  ?  " — "  A  pair  of  pants,  sir.' 
— "What  else?" — "A  pair  of  pants  and  a  pair  of 
drawers."- -"Whose  boots  are  those?"  —  "Billy  Bar- 
num's,  sir."  The  school  was  all  this  time  in  paroxysms 
of  laughter.  It  was  too  much  for  the  master.  He  felt 
the  ridiculousness  of  the  situation  and,  in  spite  of  his 
best  resolves,  joined  in  the  universal  merriment. 

As  soon  as  quiet  was  restored,  he  said  to  the  offender, 
"What  possessed  you  to  rig  yourself  up  in  this 
fashion?  "  The  jolly  little  rogue,  with  a  smile,  replied, 
"  You  told  me  yesterday  to  prepare  for  a  flogging,  and 
I  have  done  so."  This  carried  the  last  wicket.  The 
house  went  wild  again.  The  master  was  swept  by  the 
flood.  Turning  to  his  little  man,  he  said,  "Now  go 
free;  you  have  won  your  liberty."  Thus  ended  the 
famous  flogging,  with  a  lesson  for  the  teacher  as  well  as 
the  pupil.  The  culprit  was  afterwards  a  minister,  and 
he  still  lives.* 

Dr.  Fisk  often  referred  to  this  incident,  which  has 
been  retailed  in  several  forms,  in  newspapers  and  at 
anniversary  dinners. 

One  of  the  favorable  indications  of  the  period  was 
the  impression  the  Academy  was  making  abroad,  thus 
opening  the  way  for  a  wider  patronage.  The  words  of 
Fisk,  uttered  in  that  little  hamlet,  were  heard  in 
distant  cities  mid  states ;  and  those  words  brought 
students  to  the  Academy.  Those  from  the  hills  and 
valleys  came;  stage  coaches  and  private  conveyances 
were  crowded  with  the  new  pilgrims.  "  One  gentleman, 

*  The  Rev.  Nathaniel  J.  Merrill,  of  N.E.  Conference. 


110  HISTORY  OF 

residing  in  the  Berkshire  section,  a  man  of  prominence 
and  wealth,  whose  grandson  has  been  lieutenant 
governor,  volunteered  to  take  .a  load  of  students  from 
his  own  town  to  Wilbraham.  Procuring  an  express 
wagon,  with  ample  seating  capacity,  with  eight  pas- 
sengers and  trunks  and  innumerable  boxes  and  bundles 
he  mounted  the  box,  and,  with  whip  in  hand,  drew  the 
rein  as  he  and  his  jubilant  companions  set  their  faces 
toward  the  shrine  of  learning  in  the  Connecticut 
Valley.  Winding  along  the  serpentine  roads  over  hill 
and  along  valley,  the  day  wore  on  and  the  night 
approached  while  they  were  yet  twenty  miles  from 
their  destination.  Consequently  a  halt  became  neces- 
sary, and,  turning  aside,  they  sought  a  night's  enter- 
tainment in  Westfield.  On  the  morrow  the  journey 
was  resumed,  and  the  party  arrived  in  Wilbraham  be- 
fore noon-day,  to  find  the  village  filling  with  strangers 
from  different  states  of  the  Union."  * 

*  Zion's  Herald,  Recollections  of  1826. 


THE    WESLE7AN  ACADEMY.  Ill 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   ERECTION   OF   THE    BOARDING    HOUSE. 

ON  removing  to  Wilbraham  in  the  spring  of  1826, 
Mr.  Fisk  found  that  a  boarding  hall  was  hardly 
less  important  to  the  institution  than  a  building  for 
class  rooms.  The  pupils  must  have  somewhere  to  stay 
as  well  as  to  recite.  The  first  students  lived  in  town 
and  boarded  at  home  ;  but  as  numbers  increased,  drawn 
often  from  a  distance,  the  facilities  for  boarding  would 
prove  insufficient  in  a  small  rural  village.  This  inade- 
quate provision  for  boarding  would,  at  the  same  time, 
enhance  the  cost  to  those  in  attendance  and  check  the 
flow  of  patronage  to  the  Academy,  thus  defeating  the 
main  end  in  view  of  the  founders  in  establishing  the 
seminary.  To  prevent  these  evils,  it  was  necessary  to 
hasten  preparations  for  building. 

To  secure  the  attendance  of  persons  of  moderate 
means,  prices  for  tuition  and  board  must  range  low. 
Economy  was  the  law  of  the  time  and  the  locality. 
Though  few  were  abjectly  poor,  the  mass  of  the  Amer- 
ican people  were  confined  to  narrow  incomes.  The 
inflow  of  wealth,  so  abundant  in  our  day,  had  hardly 


112  HISTORY  OF 

begun.  The  people  had  learned  to  live  modestly,  mak- 
ing a  little  go  a  great  way  in  furnishing  the  comforts  of 
life.  With  enough  to  live  comfortably  in  the  ordinary 
method,  some  self-denial  was  often  necessary  to  afford 
good  educational  advantages  to  their  children.  To  aid 
this  class  of  people  in  educating  their  families  entered 
into  the  design  of  the  founders  of  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy. The  school  was  to  be  as  inexpensive  as  possible  ; 
and  as  the  main  item  of  expense  was  the  board  bill,  that 
Avas  to  be  kept  within  reasonable  limits  by  the  erection 
of  a  boarding  house. 

Meantime  some  provision  must  be  made  for  those  in 
attendance  while  the  building  was  in  process  of  con- 
struction. Wilbur  Fisk  and  Abraham  Avery  were  made 
a  committee  to  attend  to  the  matter.  In  compliance 
with  the  wishes  of  the  Board,  they  applied  to  the  citi- 
zens and  secured  places  for  all  who  might  attend  at  one 
dollar  and  a  quarter  per  week,  including  board,  room, 
fuel,  and,  in  some  instances,  washing,  which  was  fabu- 
lously cheap,  even  for  those  days  of  economy.  The 
plan  worked  admirably.  No  one  was  deterred  from 
coming  by  the  rates ;  even  the  poor  could  avail  them- 
selves of  the  rare  advantages  of  the  seminary  when 
offered  so  cheaply.  And  it  is  a  matter  of  gratitude 
that  so  many  in  very  straightened  circumstances  were 
educated  in  those  early  years  at  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy. 

These  favorable  terms  were  secured  largely  by  the 
personal  influence  of  the  new  Principal,  who  maintained 
to  the  last  close  and  harmonious  relations  with  all  the 
people  of  the  place.  He  was  strenuous  in  his  endeav 
ors,  not  only  to  stand  well  personally  with  his  neighbors, 


JHE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  113 

but  also  to  maintain  pleasant  relations  between  the 
school  and  the  citizens.  In  his  view  their  interests 
were  identical.  The  students  owed  something  to  the 
citizens,  and  they  in  turn  were  under  obligation  to  keep 
peace  with  the  school.  The  Academy  was  not  to  be 
regarded  as  a  foreign  body,  an  invasive  force,  encamped 
on  their  soil;  the  citizens  were  allied  by  interest  as 
well  as  duty  to  the  j'outh  temporarily  sojourning  among 
them.  Diverse  as  the  two  parties  may  seem  to  be  in 
character  and  interest,  he  thought  it  desirable  to  keep 
in  view  the  higher  bonds  of  union  which  demanded  the 
exercise  of  mutual  forbearance  and  kindly  offices.  In 
this  pacificatory  work  he  was  very  successful.  The 
school  for  a  series  of  years  became  marvelously  identi- 
fied in  sympathy  and  interest  with  the  community. 
Many  of  the  old  students  long  retained  precious  recol- 
lections of  families  in  which  they  were  domiciled  while 
studying  at  the  Academy.  Many  of  the  families,  on 
the  other  hand,  delighted  to  trace  the  after  course  of 
those  who  had  begun  there  the  toilsome  ascent  of  the 
hill  of  science.  Not  a  few  among  the  citizens  felt  the 
touch  of  enthusiasm  which  pervaded  the  school  and 
were  incited  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  To  them, 
hitherto  in -darkness,  great  light  sprang  up  and  often 
conducted  them  on,  not  only  to  better  knowledge,  but 
to  wider  fields  of  influence. 

As  he  inaugurated  this  era  of  good  feeling,  Fisk  was 
cherished  by  the  whole  community  as  a  gentleman,  a 
model  Christian  and  an  oracle  of  true  wisdom.  In  the 
pulpit  he  often  spoke  to  the  edification  of  the  citizens, 
and,  for  a  part  of  the  time,  he  was  the  stationed  preacher. 
To  this  day,  there  are  persons  who  recall  with  enthu- 


114  HIS  TORT  OF 

siasm  his  wise  counsels  and  seraphic  exhortations.  The 
texts  he  used,  the  line  of  thought  he  pursued,  the  strik- 
ing expressions  he  employed  and  the  pathos  he  dis- 
played are  vividly  recalled  after  more  than  half  a 
century.  The  whole  town,  especially  the  Methodist 
part  of  it,  felt  the  intense  heart-beat  of  this  great  edu- 
cator and  were  drawn,  by  his  magnetic  influence,  toward 
the  institution  he  so  tenderly  and  devotedly  cherished. 
Through  all  the  intervening  years  has  his  influence  been 
felt  for  good.  As  a  gracious  daysman  he  laid  his  hands 
on  both  parties  and  drew  them  into  close  and  helpful 
relations  to  each  other. 

The  building  of  the  boarding  hall  was  a  part  of  the 
original  plan  in  founding  the  Academy  ;  the  exigencies 
of  1826  urged  them  to  hasten  the  preparations  and  to 
secure,  the  soonest  possible,  the  completion  of  the  enter- 
prise. At  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees,  May  17, 
1825,  Abraham  Avery,  Enoch  Mudge  and  William  Rice 
were  appointed  a  committee  with  instructions  to  com- 
plete a  boarding  house  by  May,  1826.  The  committee, 
hesitating  as  to  a  location,  did  nothing.  Meantime,  in 
the  meeting  of  September  28,  1825,  a  new  committee 
was  raised,  consisting  of  Avery,  Bliss  and  Jeimison, 
with  instructions  "to  proceed  and  make  contracts  for  a 
building  forty  feet  square,  two  stories  high,  with  gable 
ends  and  lantern  windows  in  the  roof,  with  a  wing  at 
each  end,  forty  feet  long  by  twenty-five  feet  wide,  two 
stories  high,  with  a  cellar  under  the  whole,  divided  into 
the  requisite  apartments."  Still  the  location  was  in 
dispute,  when  William  Rice  suggested  the  purchase  of 
the  village  hotel.  The  proposal  was  made  to  the  War- 
riners  and  accepted.  The  purchase  included  forty-eight 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  115 

acres,  with  the  hotel  and  out-buildings.  This  settled 
the  question  of  location. 

Jennison  and  Avery  were  made  a  committee  at  the 
same  meeting  (September  28,  1825),  to  enlarge  the 
building  by  "adding  an  ell,  forty-five  by  twenty-six 
feet,  extending  back  from  the  northwest  corner,  with  a 
cellar,  if  necessary,  and  fitted  up  with  kitchen,  closets 
and  dining  hall  on  the  lower  story,  and  the  upper  story 
to  be  finished  for  students,  and  that  the  whole  house  be 
fitted  for  boarders."  The  committee  pushed  the  work 
and  completed  it  in  due  time  at  a  cost  of  $1,500.  Isaac 
Jennison,  the  chairman,  a  carpenter  by  trade  in  youth, 
was  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the  village  church.  His 
knowledge  of  carpentry  was  turned  to  good  account  in 
supervising  the  work  on  both  the  academy  and  the 
boarding  house.  On  the  latter  he  wrought  with  his  own 
hands. 

This  first  boarding  house  was  built  by  William  Rice 
for  a  hotel,  and  for  several  years  was  used  for  that 
purpose  by  the  Warriners.  As  the  main  tide  of  travel 
had  moved  aside  from  them,  they  found  the  business 
unremunerative,  and  hence  were  ready  to  sell.  For 
some  time,  the  chief  profit  had  been  derived  from  special 
gatherings,  for  convivial  and  military  purposes,  which 
often  proved  to  be  "high  times."  On  one  occasion, 
after  freely  imbibing  of  the  liquors  kept  within,  the 
revellers  rode  their  horses  in  at  the  large  front  door, 
through  the  hall  and  out  the  back  way.  The  purchase 
of  this  property  was  a  fortunate  investment.  It  re- 
moved from  the  vicinity  of  the  institution  a  drink-house, 
which  would  have  been  a  source  of  constant  temptation 
to  the  students,  and,  at  the  same  time,  gave  them 


116  HISTORY  OF 

precisely  the  property  most  conveniently  located  for  the 
purposes  of  the  school.  The  other  places  mentioned  for 
the  purpose,  lying  farther  away,  would  have  proved 
less  convenient.  "The  old  hotel"  stood  directly 
opposite  the  new  Academy  building,  and  the  farm  was 
conveniently  located  in  the  rear  of  the  boarding  house. 
Before  the  above  enlargements  were  completed,  the 
number  of  students  had  so  increased  that  the  trustees 
felt  the  necessity  of  additional  extension  of  their  plans. 
After  mature  consideration,  -they  determined,  in  the 
meeting  of  June  5,  1826,  "  to  take  means  immediately 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  house  and  completing  the 
furniture  equal  to  the  accommodation  of  fifty  scholars 
as  boarders,  and  not  to  exceed  two  in  a  bedroom." 
Isaac  Jennison  was  "a  committee  with  powers  to  en- 
gage men  and  purchase  material  and  put  a  third  story 
on  the  main  part  of  the  house,  divide  the  same  into  six 
or  more  rooms  and  finish  the  whole,  inside  and  outside, 
with  all  other  necessary  work  in  and  about  the  house, 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  draw  upon  the  treasurer  for  the 
amount  of  the  cost."  Old  students  yet  remain  who 
vividly  recall  this  upward  growth  of  the  boarding  house. 
Some  difficulty  was  realized  in  taking  the  staging  up 
to  the  third  story,  when  the  students  suggested  that 
Mr.  Jennison,  who  was  very  tall,  and  familiarly  known 
among  them  as  the  high  priest,  be  assigned  that  part,  as 
he  could  stand  upon  the  ground  and  work  without  the 
trouble  of  raising  a  staging.  Irreverent  as  the  expres- 
sions may  seem,  the  students  highly  respected  the 
preacher.  Connected  with  the  enlargement  of  the 
boarding  house  was  another  curious  incident,  not  soon 
forgotten  by  some  of  the  students.  After  the  roof  had 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY,  117 

been  removed,  there  came  a  drenching  three  days'  rain, 
which  flooded  the  upper  story  and  sent  such  unwelcome 
streams  into  the  apartments  below  as  to  drench  every- 
thing and  cause  a  general  stampede  to  the  ell  or  the 
houses  of  the  citizens.  But  beyond  this  discomfort  and 
sundry  stains  on  the  walls,  little  harm  was  done.  The 
reappearance  of  the  sun,  dissipating  the  vapors  and  dry- 
ing the  building,  restored  the  wonted  cheerfulness  and 
activity  to  the  place.  At  the  close  of  the  work  the 
trustees  gave  Mr.  Jennison  a  vote  of  thanks  and  forty 
dollars  extra,  in  consideration  of  the  losses  he  may 
have  sustained,  in  his  salary,  by  reason  of  absence  from 
his  pastoral  work.  The  completion  of  the  boarding 
house  proved  advantageous  to  the  interests  of  the  school. 
The  knowledge  of  its  construction,  having  been  widely 
circulated,  served  as  good  advertisement;  and,  before 
the  work  was  finished,  every  room  in  the  building  was 
engaged. 

The  exact  cost  of  these  improvements,  we  find  nowhere 
stated.  With  the  purchase  of  the  farm,  it  made  a  con- 
siderable sum,  insomuch  that  the  bottom  of  the  treasury 
was  reached.  In  the  trustee  meeting,  November  22, 
1826,  the  treasurer  reported  a  balance  against  the 
treasury  of  $6,310,  83,809  of  which  was  overdue. 
An  effort  to  raise  funds  was  made  on  the  spot, 
and  $1,300  were  subscribed  by  the  trustees  and  a  few 
friends  who  happened  to  be  present.  In  this  critical 
period  the  real  cost  of  educational  institutions  began  to 
dawn  upon  the  minds  of  the  trustees  and  friends  of  ed- 
ucation ;  but,  instead  of  being  dismayed  at  the  situation, 
they  addressed  themselves  to  the  task  with  fresh  vigor. 
They  felt  assured  that  a  gracious  Providence  which  had 


118  HISTORY  OF 

led  them  to  undertake  the  enterprise  would  aid  them  to 
the  end.  If  the  axe  was  dull, -more  strength  would  be 
required  to  make  it  effective.  They  did  not,  for  a 
moment,  doubt  their  ability  to  execute  the  educational 
work  committed  to  their  hands.  From  the  day  they  broke 
ground  in  Wilbraharn,  these  noble  men  took  no  back- 
ward step,  but  everywhere  the  work  was  urged  on  to 
completion.  Along  the  whole  line,  and  even  amid  the 
fiercest  struggles,  their  battle  cry.  was, "  Forward ! "  Each 
struggle  proved  a  means  to  larger  and  grander  success. 

The  trustees  found  the  management  of  the  boarding 
house  and  farm  no  easy  matter.  At  first  they  tried  it 
through  a  committee,  only  to  learn  that  the  farm,  to  be 
of  any  value  to  them,  required  the  services  of  a  practi- 
cal farmer,  and  the  boarding  house  a  good  house  man- 
ager. All  the  qualifications  could  not  easily  be  found 
combined  in  one  man.  They  searched  in  vain  for  the 
ideal  steward,  and  settled  down  finally  upon  Ebenczer 
Thompson,  long  the  keeper  of  the  village  hotel  in 
Concord,  at  a  salary  of  three  hundred  dollars  and  board 
for  himself  and  wife  with  three  children,  some  of  whom 
were  serviceable  in  the  house.  He  proved  to  be  a  good, 
but  somewhat  expensive  house  manager.  He  had  the 
advantage  of  his  hotel  experience  and  was  able  to  set 
up  the  house  in  a  creditable  way,  more  creditably  than 
was  possible  with  the  price  of  board  at  one  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents  per  week.  The  struggle  of  Mi-. 
Thompson,  from  first  to  last,  was  how  to  combine  low 
prices  with  high  ideals,  an  attempt  in  which,  he  never 
fully  succeeded. 

The  influence  and  example  of  the  family  in  the  school 
were  elevating  and  refining.  As  the  female  head,  Mrs. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  119 

Thompson  was  capable  and  efficient,  especially  in  the 
regulation  of  the  social  intercourse  of  the  students. 
Among  the  citizens,  too,  the  Thompsons  were  highly 
esteemed  for  their  worth  and  services. 

Ebenezer  Thompson  was  born  in  Chester,  Vt.,  Decem- 
ber 14, 1781,  and  died  in  Chelsea,  Mass.,  March  25, 1859. 
In  1815  he  removed  to  Concord,  Mass.,  where  he  re- 
mained for  many  years  the  popular  hotel  keeper.  By 
his  success  in  this  place,  the  attention  of  Wilbur  Fisk 
was  drawn  to  him,  and  the  religious  and  literary  advan- 
tages at  Wilbraham  induced  him  to  accept.  Successful 
as  he  may  have  been  as  a  hotel  keeper,  Mr.  Thompson 
was  not  adapted  to  the  economic  conditions  at  Wilbra- 
ham. In  their  meeting  of  November  21,  1827,  the 
trustees  make  this  record :  —  The  steward  has  up  to  the 
twenty-third  of  last  May 

Paid  out  for  Boarding  House  $2,898.31 

Received  for  board  2,335.63 

Balance  due  Steward  562.68 

Paid  on  furniture  649.25 

"    interest  on  same  18.80 

Total  on  furniture  668.05 

Making  a  total  expenditure  of  3,566.36 

Receipts  for  same  period  2,335.63 

Leaving  a  deficit  of  1,230.73 

On  this,  the  treasurer  paid  Mr.  Thompson  two  hundred 
and  forty-six  dollars  and  thirty-four  cents,  and  for  the 
remaining  nine  hundred  and  eighty-four  dollars  and 
thirty-four  cents,  gave  him  a  corporation  note,  thus  end- 
ing the  account  with  the  first 'steward,  who,  of  course 
had  leave  to  resign.  In  spite  of  his  ill  success  at  Wil- 
braham, Mr.  Thompson  retained  the  confidence  and 
regard  of  the  public,  filling  out  thereafter  an  honored 


120  HISTORY  OF 

and  useful  life  in  other  lines  of  business.  For  some 
years  he  kept  a  hotel  in  Boston,  with  good  success. 

During  Mr.  Fisk's  first  year  at  Wilbraham,  the  reli- 
gious interest  in  the  school  was  deep  and  constant.  The 
prayer  meetings  held  in  the  old  dining  hall  were  led  by 
him,  and  usually  proved  occasions  of  interest  and  profit 
to  all  in  attendance.  As  assistants  in  the  work,  he 
always  had  some  devoted  and  talented  students  who 
possessed  the  gifts  of  prayer  and  exhortation  and  were 
able  to  impart  a  good  measure  of  their  own  enthusiasm 
to  the  meeting.  The  less  talented  and  more  modest, 
however,  were  not  forgotten  or  obscured  by  the  more 
brilliant  ones.  Each  was  made  to  feel  at  home  in  his 
place  and  free  to  participate  in  the  exercises.  The 
material  of  which  this  meeting  was  composed  was  often 
quite  varied  and  even  diverse  ;  but  in  the  hands  of  the 
young  Principal  it  was  controlled  with  the  utmost  ease 
and  dexterity.  He  handled  his  audience  as  an  accom- 
plished musician  does  his  instrument,  turning  the 
natural  discords  into  higher  harmony.  Greatly  delight- 
ing in  earnest  and  hearty  devotion,  he  avoided  mere 
excitement  and  rant  liable  to  appear  in  untutored 
assemblies.  As  a  man  of  natural  and  cultivated  taste, 
he  desired  to  have  all  done  decently  and  in  order. 

Though  managed  with  so  much  ease  and  apparent 
abandon,  these  meetings  were  not  without  plan.  Opened 
promptly  at  the  hour  with  song  and  prayer,  he  would 
give  a  few  key-words  and  allow  others  to  follow. 
Though  conversion  wa's  a  first  aim,  he  was  never  sat- 
isfied to  stop  at  this  stage  in  religious  experience.  The 
renewed  soul  required  spiritual  nurture  that  it  might 
grow  up  in  Christ  and  bear  fruit  to  the  glory  of  God. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  121 

Upon  mere  emotional  piety  he  placed  little  value.  The 
emotion  was  an  incident,  rather  than  the  germ  of  true 
religion.  The  convert  needed  to  be  taken  on  to  higher 
stages  by  training  the  conscience,  cultivating  the  intel- 
lect, and  bringing  into  relief  the  train  of  Christian 
graces  and  virtues.  Without  abating  the  intensity  of 
devotion,  he  endeavored  to  make  that  devotion  intelli- 
gent and  reliable.  In  securing  this  end,  he  often  dis- 
coursed to  them  on  matters  of  experience  and  lines  of 
Bible  thought.  They  were  ten-minute  sermons  which 
gave  tone  and  direction  to  the  meeting. 

The  session  of  the  Conference  at  Wilbraham,  June  7, 
1826,  gave  fresh  intensity  to  the  life  of  the  school. 
Bishop  George  presided.  Jotham  Harton,  Orange 
Scott,  Abraham  D.  Merrill,  Sundeiiand  and  Maffit 
were  there.  Maffit  remained  at  the  close  for  a  fort- 
night of  religious  service,  kindling  a  great  fire  which 
blazed  on  for  months.  The  houses  were  crowded.  To 
the  Congregational  pastor,  who  was  troubled  by  the 
noise,  Maffit  said:  "My  brother,  this  is  the  stillest 
world  you  will  ever  be  in." 

Of  this  work  the  Principal  wrote:  "A  number  of 
persons  have  found  forgiveness  through  Christ,  and 
numbers  more  are  inquiring  after  salvation,  insomuch 
that  present  appearances  indicate  a  general  shower  of 
divine  mercy,  not  only  in  this  parish,  but  in  the  South 
parish  and  other  neighboring  places.  The  labors  of  our 
brethren  during  the  Conference  have  doubtless  contrib- 
uted to  this,  and  the  work  has  been  especially  forwarded 
under  God  by  the  instrumentality  of  Bro.  Maffit,  who 
tarried  more  than  a  fortnight  after  the  Conference." 


1L'2  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WILBUR   FISK'S    SECOND   YEAR    AT   THE   WESLEYAN 
ACADEMY. 

THOUGH  the  edge  of  the  financial  storm  extended 
into  the  year  of  1827,  there  began  to  be  light  in 
the  cloud.  At  the  meeting  of  the  board,  May  15,  the 
treasurer  reported  that  the  property  of  the  institution, 
exclusive  of  real  estate,  furniture  and  apparatus,  is 
86000.  The  indebtedness  was  $7,167.66.  John  Lind- 
say, who  had  been  appointed  as  a  financial  agent  by 
the  Conference,  had  raised  the  whole  amount.  In  addi- 
tion, George  Pickering  had  raised  $1,252.00.  Deduct- 
ing $447.00  for  salary  of  agent,  the  net  result  was  $805. 
The  officers  of  the  board  were  continued,  and  the  by- 
laws so  changed  as  to  allow  the  election  of  trustees  not 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church.  The  secretary  was 
also  ordered  to  keep  a  list  of  the  names  of  donors  to 
the  funds  .of  the  institution. 

To  aid  the  Academy,  the  Conference  proposed  to 
transfer  to  the  trustees  Zion's  Herald,  on  condition  that 
they  assume  the  debts  of  the  paper  and  appropriate  one 
third  of  the  proceeds  to  the  Maine  Conference.  The 
proposition  was  accepted  in  the  meeting  of  September 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  123 

12,  1827.  Rev.  Daniel  Webb  was  elected  agent  at  a 
salary  of  8700,  and  G.  V.  S.  Forbes  was  chosen  "  to  per- 
form the  duties  of  editor,  superintend  the  wrapping 
department,  assist  and  instruct  such  of  the  apprentices 
as  may  be  called  to  the  business,  until  they  are  able  to 
accomplish  it  alone,  spending  all  his  time  in  the  office, 
at  the  rate  of  $900  per  annum."  The  agent  had  power 
to  make  and  execute  all  contracts  and  to  draw  on  the 
treasury  for  any  sum  not  exceeding  one  thousand  dol- 
lars in  any  one  transaction.  Colonel  Binney  and  Rev. 
Joseph  A.  Merrill  were  made  a  committee  of  counsel. 
In  this  way  was  the  paper  managed  for^  the  year.  At 
its  ensuing  session  the  Conference,  the  counsellor  of 
both  the  Academy  and  the  paper,  advised  the  sale  of 
the  Herald,  in  order  to  increase  the  available  funds  of  the 
institution. 

The  trustees  offered  the  subscription  list,  types  and 
presses  to  the  Book  Concern  for  $6,452.27.  At  a  lat- 
er date,  the  offer  of  $5,000  by  Dr.  Emory,  the  Agent, 
was  accepted,  and  a  pledge  given  not  to  start  another 
paper  in  Boston.  On  this  the  Book  Agents  paid,  at 
the  time,  $1,333.33,  or  one  third  the  purchase  price.  At 
the  end  of  the  year,  they  not  only  lost  the  New  Eng- 
land subscribers,  but  found  a  new  Zion's  Herald  in 
Boston.  To  this  they  made  no  objection,  provided  the 
amount  paid  should  be  refunded,  which  the  Conference 
agreed  to  do,  with  tie  understanding  that  one  third 
should  be  paid  by  the  Ne\v  Hampshire  and  Vermont 
Conferences,  one  third  by  Maine  and  one  third  by  the 
New  England  Conference. 

To  this  $1,333.33,  there  was  a  long  tail.  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Vermont  paid  nothing  ;  Maine  proposed  to  pay 


124  HISTORY  Of 

by  turning  an  old  claim  they  made  against  the  New- 
market Academy.  Practically,  it  left  the  whole  on  the 
New  England  Conference.  In  1833  the  Wesleyan 
Association  paid  the  Book  Concern  $239,  and  the  next 
year  $100.  In  1845  the  Conference  paid  1519.80,  and 
in  1846,  $168.19,  asking  Providence  Conference,  which 
had  been  set  off  from  New  England  Conference,  to  pay 
the  remainder.  Providence  paid  from  their  Herald 
dividends,  $99.54.  In  1848,  $150  remained  unpaid. 
As  a  peace  offering,  Providence  Conference  proposed 
to  pay  one-half,  and  the  New  England  was  then  in  favor 
of  turning  the*paper  over  to  the  General  Conference ; 
but  as  the  offer  was  not  accepted,  the  $150  was  probably 
paid  by  the  Wesleyan  Association ;  at  least  nothing  more 
was  heard  of  the  claim.* 

Encouraged  by  the  increase  in  the  number  of  students 
and  the  liberal  contributions  of  the  people,  the  trustees 
determined  to  increase  the  facilities  for  boarding,  by 
another  enlargement  of  the  boarding  house.  From  this 
undertaking  they  were  dissuaded  by  the  board  of  visitors, 
who  favored  a  separate  building  for  ladies  when  the 
time  should  arrive  for  making  additions.  To  meet 
present  exigencies,  rooms  were  finished  off  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  Academy  at  an  expense  of  $250. 

The  number  of  students  steadily  increased,  running 
up  the  present  year  to  286,  taken  by  terms.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  care  for  and  instruction  of  these  students, 
the  Principal  supplied  the  village  pulpit  for  the  year, 
receiving  for  both  positions  one  salary,  which  was  so 
much  help  to  the  school.  At  the  suggestion  of  the 
board,  he  addressed  a  circular  to  the  preachers  and  peo- 

*These  facts  were  given  by  the  Rev.  Stephen  Gushing. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  125 

pie,  in  favor  of  additional  contributions.  At  the  same 
time,  he  secured  a  petition  to  the  legislature,  which 
resulted  in  the  grant  of  a  tract  of  land  in  Maine,  from 
which  the  institution  ultimately  realized  $2,300. 

The  teaching  corps  was  this  year  reenforced.  Na- 
thaniel Dunn,  Jr.,  was  aided  by  Joel  Knight  and  David 
Patten,  Jr.  William  Magoun,  a  graduate  of  Brown 
and  a  thorough  scholar,  born  in  Plymouth  County, 
Mass.,  September  15,  1802,  and  died  in  Turin,  Italy, 
September  26, 1871,  was  also  added  to  the  board  of  in- 
struction. After  graduation  he  studied  law,  and  then 
from  1827  to  1832  taught  at  Wilbraham.  For  part  of  a 
year  he  was  tutor  at  Wesleyan  University.  He  then 
taught  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn;  and  for  a  season 
practiced  law  in  the  latter  city.  In  1848,  he  accompa- 
nied the  Hon.  Nathaniel  Niles,  U.  S.  Charg£  d'  Affaires 
to  Turin,  as  private  secretary  and  family  tutor.  From 
1857  to  1871,  he  was  secretary  to  the  British  Consul  at 
Turin.  He  was  afterwards  consular  agent  for  the 
United  States  at  the  same  place,  and  English  tutor  in 
the  royal  family  at  Turin. 

In  personal  appearance,  William  Magoun  was  ele- 
gant and  attractive,  small  in  stature  and  solidly  built, 
with  a  fair  complexion,  light  blue  eyes,  massive  brow 
and  flowing  locks;  he  wore  an  open  countenance,  indi- 
cative of  frankness,  taste,  exquisite  sensibility  and  lofti- 
ness of  thought  and  purpose.  He  moved  with  a 
courtly, if  not  a  haughty,  air;  he  handled  himself  easily, 
and  was  at  home  in  the  most  cultivated  circles.  In 
scholarship  he  was  thorough  and  ready,  and,  as  a 
teacher,  invariably  popular.  In  all  positions  he  was 
affable  and  gentlemanly  in  bearing,  and  easily  drew 


126  HISTORY  OF 

persons  to  himself.  In  languages  and  literature  he  was 
accomplished,  and  in  this  respect  wonderfully  fitted  for 
positions  lie  afterwards  rilled  in  Italy.  While  at  Wil- 
braham  he  was  not  a  professor  of  religion;  but,  in  his 
tasb's  and  convictions,  he  was  inclined  to  the  Episcopal 
church.  In  the  great  awakening  at  the  Academy  he 
was  often  brought  near  a  decision  in  favor  of  the  per- 
sonal acceptance  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  he  never  reached 
the  point  of  absolute  decision.  Diffidence  possibly  pre- 
vented an  open  confession  of  the  Saviour.  The  remem- 
brances of  his  teaching  days  are  all  pleasant,  and  the 
record  he  made  afterwards  was  honorable.* 

Miss  Susan  Brewer,  a  native  of  Wilbraham,  a  fine 
scholar  and  an  accomplished  lady,  took  the  place  of  Miss 
Tillinghast  as  Preceptress.  Like  her  brother,  the  Rev. 
Calvin  Brewer,  she  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  founding 
of  the  Academy.  In  appearance  and  bearing  she  was 
elegant,  even  courtly.  Her  lustrous  eyes  lighted  a 
countenance  enriched  by  the  hues  of  health  and  vigor. 
A  superior  teacher,  she  was  also  an  elegant  writer, 
charming  snatches  of  her  poetry  often  finding  their  way 
into  the  newspapers  and  magazines.  Her  taste  for  lan- 
guage, letters  and  music  was  of  a  high  order.  Though 
deeply  religious,  she  was  unobtrusive,  meek,  genial ;  but 
she  could  not  be  hidden.  In  conversation,  she  was  free 
and  easy,  with  a  rich  flow  of  thought  and  elegance  of 
expression.  After  leaving  the  Academy,  Miss  ^Brewer 
went  South,  where  she  married  Capt.  David  Thomas, 
whose  children  she  had  educated,  and  with  whom  she 
afterwards  travelled  in  Europe.  Her  Travels  were 
published.  By  J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.  in  1860.  At  the 

•John  W.  Merrill,  D.  D. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  127 

celebration  of  the  quarter  centennial  in  1848,  she  was 
present,  and  enlivened  the  occasion  with  reminiscences 
of  the  founding.  Some  years  thereafter  she  was  killed  by 
a  railroad  accident  in  Biloxi,  Mississippi,  July  26, 1876. 

At  this  date,  the  east  room  in  the  second  story  of  the 
Academy  was  used  as  a  dormitory  for  the  small  boys, 
under  the  charge  of  a  Proctor.  The  Proctor  found  it 
no  easy  matter  to  keep  them  in  order,  and  to  take  them 
in  to  prayers  before  daylight.  The  first  to  occupy  this 
position  was  Selah  Stocking,  who  had  many  a  bout  with 
these  little  people.  Often,  on  rising,  his  stockings, 
slippers,  and  even  his  pants  would  be  missing.  On  one 
occasion,  lie  fared  still  worse.  As  he  sprang  from  his 
couch  to  strike  a  light,  he  was  hurled  full  length  upon 
the  floor,  with  one  foot  fast  in  the  bed,  thus  preventing 
him  from  striking  a  light,  or  extricating  himself  from 
the  difficulty.  The  debut  of  the  Proctor  roused  all  in 
the  room,  and  brought  one  sober  lad,  with  a  light,  to 
his  assistance.  On  examination,  it  \vas  found  that  a 
strong  cord  ran  about  the  room,  and  was  made  fast  to 
the  great  toe  of  each  sleeper. 

The  second  Proctor  was  Joseph  J.  Brooks,  of  Mont- 
pelier,  Vt.,  a  good  scholar  and  a  favorite  with  the  fac- 
ulty. He  was  a  man  of  authority,  whose  way  the  boys 
made  as  difficult  as  possible.  One  night,  a  Spanish  fly 
was  attached  to  his  limb,  leaving  a  blister  in  the  morn- 
ing. After  him,  came  Jefferson  Hascall,  a  man  with 
large  and  vigorous  frame,  a  Websterian  head  and  bril- 
liant black  eye.  He  was  great  in  prayer,  exhortation 
and  song.  Under  his  beneficent  sway,  there  was  peace 
in  the  dormitory.  We  hear  of  but  a  single  instance  of 
insubordination,  and  in  that  case,  the  culprit  was  taken 


128  HISTORY  OF 

to  the  principal  for  treatment.  At  his  first  exhibition 
of  insolence,  Fisk  laid  the  little  sinner  prostrate  with  a 
blow  from  his  open  palm.  "There,"  said  he,  "learn  to 
speak  respectfully  of  those  in  authority."  This  is  the 
only  instance  of  hasty  action  we  find  recorded  against 
this  admirable  school  manager.  As  a  compensation,  the 
Proctors  were  credited  with  the  amount  of  their  board 
bills.  But,  with  Jefferson  Hascall,  the  office  itself  dis- 
appeared. 

In  place,  of  Eben.  Thompson,  the  trustees  chose  as 
steward  Solomon  Weeks,  of  Marlboro,  Mass.,  a  man  of 
rare  mental  balance,  a  practical  farmer  and  a  devout 
Methodist  of  the  old  type.  He  was  born  in  Marlboro, 
September  14,  1785,"  and  died  there  March  4,  1866. 
Converted  under  E.  T.  Taylor,  in  1810,  he  joined  the 
church  at  Feltonville  (now  Hudson)  and  remained  to 
the  end  a  devout  Christian.  He  was  a  principal  agent  in 
founding  the  Marlboro  church.  The  parsonage  was  given 
by  him.  By  all  who  knew  him,  he  was  regarded  as  a  man 
of  sound  judgment,  incorruptible  integrity  and  steady 
devotion  to  religious  and  moral  duty.  At  Wilbraham, 
he  was  a  model  steward,  knowing  how  to  manage  the 
farm,  and  at  the  same  time  to  lead  the  students  with  a 
silken  cord.  He  served  from  November,  1827,  to 
March,  1831.  By  both  citizens  and  students  he  was 
greatly  beloved.  Plain,  simple,  good  sensed,  he  knew 
business  and  men.  Mrs.  Weeks,  a  matronly  woman  of 
sound  sense,  in  whose  nature  the  law  of  kindness  was 
written,  was  equally  beloved.  "Mother  Weeks,"  they 
delighted  to  call  her,  and  felt  perfectly  free  to  go  to  her 
for  sympathy  and  counsel.  No  one  ever  failed  to  find 
in  her  a  true  friend  and  wise  counsellor. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  129 

Among  the  citizens  as  well  as  in  the  school,  the 
memory  of  the  Weekses  is  as  ointment  poured  forth. 
Their  simplicity  of  manners,  sincerity  and  spirit  of 
kindness  to  all,  gave  them  admission  to  the  hearts  of 
the  whole  people.  The  announcement  of  his  purpose 
to  resign  was  matter  of  sincere  regret.  The  trustees 
resolved  unanimously  "  that  this  board  feels  fully  satis, 
fied  with  the  services  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weeks,  in  the 
steward's  department  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  since 
they  have  been  in  it,  and  that  they  regret  exceedingly 
that  circumstances,  in  their  opinion,  require  them  to 
leave  the  institution,  and  should  they  finally  determine  to 
leave  us,  they  will  go  with  the  best  wishes  of  the  board." 

In  the  early  days,  as  later,  there  were  students  at  the 
Academy  preparing  for  the  ministry,  and,  as  no  theo- 
logical school  had  then  been  organized  by  the  Metho- 
dists, the  Principal  endeavored  to  aid  them  by  the  for- 
mation of  a  theological  class.  While  he  was  musing  on 
the  subject,  the  students  were  led  out  in  the  same  direc- 
tion. In  a  walk,  one  day,  Charles  Adams  and  John  W. 
Merrill  devised  the  plan  and  proposed  it  to  Dr.  Fisk, 
who  approved  and  became  their  teacher.  The  original 
members  were  Charles  Adams,  John  W.  Merrill,  and 
Edward  Otheman.  To  these  were  soon  added  Horace 
Moulton,  Jefferson  Hascall,  Jefferson  Hamilton  and 
others,  who  met  once  a  week,  and  were  conducted  by  the 
Principal  through  those  studies  which  would  be  useful 
to  them  in  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  the  sacred 
office.  Though  not  extensive  or  profound,  the  course 
was  admirably  adapted  to  the  circumstances  and  needs 
of  the  pupils.  To  come  into  intimate  relations  with  so 
fine  a  theologian,  thinker  and  preacher,  was  itself  an 


130  HISTORY  OF 

education.  Though  the  instruction  was  given  gratis, 
the  first  class  presented  the  teacher  with  a  fine  copy  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  as  a  token  of  their  appreciation. 

This  theological  class  indicated  the  rising  sentiment 
of  the  church  on  the  education  of  the  ministry.  The 
members  of  the  class  carried  the  plan  into  other  institu- 
tions with  which  they  became  connected,  and  the  im- 
pulse thus  given,  no  doubt  opened  the  way  for  the 
establishment  of  theological  schools  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  The  prompt  action  of  Fisk  hastened 
the  consummation  of  a  movement  sure  to  come  in  the 
end,  and  finds  its  best  expression  in  theological  schools 
now-  extended  over  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
from  Boston  to  California. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  181 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PROSPERITY   OF  THE  ACADEMY  DURING   THE  YEAR  1828. 

THE  year  1828  at  the  Academy  opened  under  favor- 
able auspices.  The  attendance  of  students  was 
large,  and  entire  harmony  prevailed  in  the  school.  From 
the  successes  of  the  past,  the  friends  and  managers  of  the 
institution  took  fresh  courage  for  future  undertakings. 
As  in  former  terms,  a  delightful  religious  interest  pre- 
vailed among  the  students,  though  nothing  like  an  ex- 
tensive revival  had  thus  far  been  realized.  The  deep- 
ening interest,  during  the  first  weeks  of  the  year,  gave 
promise  of  a  more  plentiful  shower,  which  came  in  what 
has  been  known  as  the  great  revival,  in  which  a  large 
number  of  students  began  a  religious  life.  There  were 
various  causes  in  operation,  leading  to  this  result.  The 
preaching  of  John  Foster,  then  pastor  of  the  village 
church,  was  strong  and  impressive,  and  the  labors  of 
several  earnest  and  faithful  students  were  honored  by 
the  Master. 

Above  all,  the  Principal  himself  entered  into  the 
spirit  of  the  new  movement.  To  an  unusual  extent,  he 
realized  the  importance  of  deepening  the  religious  life  in 


132  HISTORY  OF 

the  school,  and  of  leading  the  young  persons  committed 
to  his  care  to  consecrate  themselves  fully  to  the  ser- 
vice of  God.  The  forms  and  decencies  of  religion  were 
not  enough ;  the  life  and  power  were  needed  to  renovate 
the  soul  and  shape  the  character.  Some  of  his  friends 
had  doubted  whether  a  high  type  of  piety  was  compati- 
ble with  the  conditions  of  a  literary  institution.  He 
wished  to  disabuse  them,  and  to  show  that  earnest  piety 
might  exist  in  a  Christian  school.  For  this  consumma- 
tion, as  the  final  seal  of  the  divine  approval  of  their 
educational  undertakings,  and  as  the  sorest  means  of 
bringing  the  church  into  cordial  and  complete  sympatlry 
and  cooperation  with  the  cause  of  higher  education, 
he  labored  and  prayed.  Under  this  sense  of  need,  his 
sermons  and  exhortations  exhibited  unusual  fervor. 
The  spirit  of  Christ,  which  flowed  through  his  own 
soul,  was  communicated  to  others,  as  seen  in  the  serious 
and  thoughtful  temper,  the  tenderness,  the  attention  to 
sacred  things  in  the  school,  causing  the  more  devout 
and  clairvoyant  spirits  to  realize  the  approach  of  a  new 
and  brighter  era  in  the  religious  life  of  the  institution. 

The  gracious  visitation  was  nearer  than  they  antici- 
pated. On  Sunday,  March  9th,  the  rain  began  quietly 
to  fall,  which  was  to  water  all  the  ground  and  gladden 
the  heritage  of  God.  It  was  the  Penticost  of  the  Acad- 
emy. After  long  waiting  in  prayer  and  fellowship,  the 
Spirit  filled  all  the  place  where  they  were  sitting,  and 
men  began  to  speak  with  new  fervor  and  effectiveness. 
Fisk  preached  on  "  Rejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy  youth." 
One  said  to  another:  "Will  you  seek  religion  ?"  An- 
other and  another  were  attracted  into  the  circle  for  con- 
versation, prayer  and  reading  the  Scriptures.  At  the 


fHE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  133 

close  of  the  service,  they  retired  to  their  rooms  to  renew 
the  search.  At  a  prayer  meeting  in  one  of  the  rooms, 
three  were  converted. 

The  next  evening,  those  who  had  found  peace  testified 
to  the  fact,  and  six  others  expressed  a  desire  to  be 
saved.  The  day  following,  there  were  several  small 
prayer  meetings,  and  on  Saturday  the  school  exercises 
were  suspended,  and  the  time  devoted  to  religious  ser- 
vice. "During  the  week  not  less  than  thirty  had  been 
converted.  At  the  close  of  the  second  week,  but  five 
remained  in  the  Boarding  House  unconverted,  and  four 
of  these  expressed  a  desire  to  become  Christians.  Mean- 
time, between  forty  and  fifty  had  given  their  hearts  to 
God,  and  of  these,  six  became  ministers.  Osmon  C. 
Baker,  David  Patten  and  Morris  Hill  were  of  this  num- 
ber. Three  became  members  of  the  New  York  Confer- 
ence, and  one  a  member  of  the  New  England.  Many 
others,  as  lay  members,  have  sustained  a  high  reputation 
for  religious  character,  and  have  been  influential  in  pro- 
moting the  cause  of  Christ.  The  glorious  results  of 
that  revival  will  be  fully  known  only  in  the  last  day."  * 

Though  the  movement  was  without  noise,  the  excite- 
ment was  intense.  William  G.  Mitchell,  afterwards  a 
beloved  teacher  in  the  Seminary,  was  carried  quite  out 
of  himself.  At  a  class  meeting,  J.  B.  Merwin,  a  large 
man,  the  original  of  living's  Ichabod  Crane,  asked  for 
prayers,  when  Mitchell  took  him  in  his  arms,  and  car- 
ried him  across  the  room  to  Mr.  Fisk,  asking  him  to 
pray  for  the  seeker.  The  prominence  given  to  Christian 
perfection,  as  the  privilege  of  all  believers,  was  also  a 
characteristic  of  this  revival.  Believers  were  urged  to 

*Rev.  Stephen  Gushing.    Zion's  Herald,  1878.     From  notes  taken  at  the  time. 


134  HISTORY  OF 

press  on  to  the  higher  attainments  in  grace,  made  possi- 
ble in  the  gospel.  Of  those  recently  converted,  a  num- 
ber soon  came  into  a  most  satisfactory  state  of  Christian 
experience,  exhibiting  in  their  lives  the  fruits  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  in  large  measure.  In  depth,  power  and 
results,  the  work  was  unequalled.  Beginning  without 
observation  and  obtrusive  instrumentality,  the  flow  of 
the  stream  was  quiet,  broad,  deep  and  strong.  It  was 
the  Lord's  doing,  and  marvellous  in  the  eyes  of  all  who 
witnessed  it.  By  this  surprising  uplift,  nearly  all  the 
members  of  the  school  were  brought  into  the  kingdom 
of  God.  For  one  entire  week  the  school  duties  were 
suspended,  and  both  students  and  citizens  devoted  them- 
selves to  religious  services. 

As  an  advertisement  of  the  Academy,  the  Great  Re- 
vival was  invaluable.  Accounts  of  it  went  into  the 
papers,  communicating  the  intelligence  to  every  part  of 
the  church,  and,  as  a  result,  the  numbers  in  the  aggre- 
gate rose  from  494  to  601,  the  highest  point  touched  in 
those  early  years.  An  incident  or  two  will  illustrate. 
The  first  came  under  the  author's  own  observation.  In 
the  town  of  New  Lebanon,  beyond  the  Green  Hills, 
Jesse  Hand  read  the  account  in  the  Christian  Advocate, 
and  became  so  enthusiastic  over  the  intelligence  as  to 
talk  the  matter  over  with  his  neighbors.  As  a  result, 
probably  not  less  than  twenty  students  found  their  way 
to  Wilbraham — the  Hands,  the  Spiers,  the  Lucases,  the 
Johnsons,  the  Shermans  and  others.  It  was,  also,  the 
recital  in  the  Advocate  which  induced  Miner  Raymond 
to  leave  his  shoe-bench,  in  a  New  York  village,  and 
enter  as  a  student  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  where  he 
was  to  remain  so  many  years  as  student,  teacher  and 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  135 

principal,  and  to  become,  as  it  were,  so  considerable  a 
part  of  the  institution  itself. 

Meantime,  George  Pickering,  the  financial  agent,  was 
busy  in  collecting  funds  for  the  Academy.  The  result 
was  reported  to  the  board  in  July,  as  $1,671.  The  salary 
of  the  agent  was  $486,  leaving  net  $1,185.  The  board 
passed  a  vote  of  thanks  "for  the  diligent  and  successful 
manner  in  which  the  Rev.  George  Pickering  has  solic- 
ited aid  for  the  Academy,"  and  requested  his  re-appoint- 
ment for  another  year. 

At  the  March  meeting  of  the  board,  Abraham  A  very, 
one  of  the  founders,  and  the  first  treasurer  of  the  cor- 
poration, resigned  his  office,  to  the  great  regret  of  all 
the  friends  of  the  institution. 

Dr.  Fisk  at  first  lived  on  the  Work's  place,  a  mile 
down  street.  In  1827,  the  trustees  proposed  to  build 
"  a  Mansion  House  "  for  the  Principal,  but  the  purpose 
was  not  carried  out  on  account  of  the  straitness  of  the 
finances.  In  the  March  meeting,  this  year,  the  commit- 
tee submitted  a  contract  they  had  made  with  Abel  Bliss 
"to  build  a  house  of  the  following  dimensions,  viz.:  36 
by  30  feet,  and  two  stories  high,  with  an  ell  back,  15  by 
20.  The  whole  to  be  finished  and  painted  outside  for 
$1,490,  and  to  be  completed  by  the  middle  of  June  next." 
The  house,  located  on  the  site  of  the  present  house  for 
the  Principal,  was  completed  on  time,  and  used  as  the 
residence  of  the  Principals  for  twenty-eight  years.  When 
the  new  one  was  built,  the  original  was  removed  to  the 
west  on  Faculty  Street,  and  fitted  up  for  students.  For 
the  head  teacher,  the  Brown  place  was  purchased,  and 
afterward  sold  to  Samuel  Leach,  leaving  the  teachers  to 
provide  for  themselves. 


136  HISTORY  OF 

Col.  Amos  Binney,  this  year,  donated  to  the  Academy 
a  property  in  East  Cambridge,  valued,  at  the  time,  at 
$11,500.  A  defective  title  occasioned  extended  litiga- 
tion with  the  Canal  Bridge  Company,  in  which  Hon. 
Abbott  Lawrence  and  Hon.  Nathan  Appleton  were 
large  stockholders.  After  the  case  had  been  in  court 
two  years,  these  gentlemen  became  convinced  of  the 
justice  of  the  institution's  claim,  and  discouraged  fur- 
ther prosecution  of  the  suit.  While  the  costs  reduced 
the  amount  realized  from  the  property,  Messrs.  Law- 
rence and  Appleton  contributed  from  their  private  funds 
to  re-imburse  the  Academy. 

The  founders  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  were,  for  a 
season,  affected  with  the  manual  labor  craze.  The  in- 
dustries were  to  be  represented  at  the  Academy.  Such 
manias  have  to  be  outgrown,  and  are  usually  cured  only 
by  some  good  experience.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  those 
least  affected  were  the  practical  farmers ;  the  theoretical 
men  suffered  under  a  severe  attack.  The  case  of  Col. 
Binney  was  nearly  or  quite  incurable,  while  Dr.  Fisk 
rallied  after  a  slight  run  of  the  disease. 

In  his  opening  address,  Dr.  Fisk  set  forth  this  part  of 
the  plan  of  the  trustees ;  "  To  secure  habits  of  bodily  ac- 
tivity," he  remarks,  "  let  every  scholar,  while  obtaining 
an  education,  spend  part  of  his  time  either  in  agricul- 
ture or  in  some  mechanical  business.  Let  him  learn 
these  theoretically  and  practically  by  devoting  a  certain 
portion  of  each  day  thereto,  at  the  same  time  he  is  im- 
proving his  mind  in  general  science.  No  sound  objec- 
tion, it  is  thought,  can  be  brought  against  such  a  course. 
Should  it  be  said  it  would  interrupt  the  studies  of  the 
pupils,  and  prevent  their  attending  profitably  either  to 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  137 

work  or  study,  we  answer,  no  more  time  need  be  spent 
in  any  branch  to  answer  the  proposed  end,  than  most 
scholars  spend  in  vain  and  unprofitable  amusements 
and  conversation,  nor  more  than  would  be  sufficient  to 
preserve  health.  Such  a  course  would  do  away  from 
the  minds  of  men  that  contempt  with  which  too  many 
look  down  upon  the  laboring  classes  of  society ;  and  it 
would  remove  from  the  minds  of  many  the  objections 
which  they  may  justly  make,  in  the  present  state  of 
things,  to  an  extensive  literary  education.  Among 
farmers,  it  has  become  proverbial  that  it  spoils  their 
sons  for  labor  to  send  them  a  few  quarters  to  a  grammar 
school  or  an  academy.  Wheneas,  if  they  had  been 
trained  up  to  manual  labor  as  well  as  to  science,  they 
would  have  been  none  the  less  fitted  to  shine  in  the 
highest  circles  of  eminence  in  any  profession  ;  or,  if  they 
failed  here,  they  would  still  be  prepared  to  gain  a  com- 
petency by  their  own  hands." 

This  theory  is  beautiful.  The  theory  was  accepted 
more  or  less  fully  by  the  board ;  the  test  of  it  was  the 
trial.  Col.  Binney  insisted  on  an  experiment  in  agri- 
culture ;  and  the  wish  of  Col.  Binney,  who  had  done  so 
much  for  the  Academy,  was  accepted  as  law  by  the  board. 
Accordingly,  a  large  field  back  of  the  boarding  house 
was  selected  and  put  in  order.  The  students  selected 
plats  of  ground  to  cultivate.  The  lots  were  staked  off, 
and  trenches  drawn  between  them.  The  seed  was 
sown.  The  blades  soon  appeared,  affording  promise  of 
an  early  and  abundant  harvest.  At  the  first  hoeing  the 
enthusiasm  was  great.  At  the  second  hoeing  it  had 
very  much  abated,  and  long  before  harvest  time  it  was 
evident  the  chief  part  of  the  crop  was  to  be  weeds.  In 


138  HISTORY   OF 

the  height  of  the  season  the  steward  invited  Dr.  Fisk  to 
inspect  the  paradise  which  had  been  created  by  the 
manual  labor  enterprise.  The  Doctor  smiled,  looked 
wisely,  and  returned  to  his  office.  This  was  practically 
the  end  of  the  experiment  in  agriculture  at  the  Wesleyan 
Academy.  The  practical  men  about  the  institution 
learned  to  imitate  the  example  of  the  apostle :  "  This 
one  thing  I  do ; "  and  so  forgetting  the  things  behind, 
they  pressed  on  in  their  purpose  to  make  good  scholars, 
rather  than  attempt  to  bring  out  indifferent  farmers. 
We  hear  no  more  of  Col.  Binney's  insistence ;  in  fact 
we  hear  no  more  of  the  experiment.  One  season  was 
sufficient  to  dissipate  in  thin  air  all  the  golden  dreams 
which  had  floated  in  the  brains  of  some  of  the  managers 
of  the  Academy.  Dr.  Fisk  had  the  rare  good  sense  to 
learn  rapidly  under  the  tuition  of  experience. 

The  course  of  study  adopted  at  the  opening  of  the 
academy  was  never  quite  satisfactory  to  those  in  control. 
The  several  attempts,  however,  to  revive,  had  all  failed. 
The  plans  proposed  were  seen  by  the  principal  to  be 
impracticable.  The  committee  appointed  to  consider 
the  subject,  reported  as  follows  in  the  meeting  of  March 
6th :  "  The  committee  having  had  the  subject  under  con- 
sideration, as  far  as  circumstances  would  permit,  are 
unwilling  to  give  up  the  idea  of  a  regular  course  of 
study  as  extensive  as  the  one  here  submitted  to  the 
board.  They  would  recommend  the  board  to  direct  the 
officers  of  the  school  to  do  what  they  can  in  practicing 
upon  the  proposed  plan  without  advertising  it  publicly, 
or  running  -much  risk  of  expense  which  the  tuition  fees 
will  not  probably  meet.  In  this  way,  they  will  be  able 
to  report  to  the  adjourned  annual  meeting,  how  much 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  139 

increased  expense  will  be  necessary  to  cany  the  plan 
into  operation,  and  the  board  will  be  better  prepared  to 
make  a  decision  on  the  subject."  In  this  quiet  way  the 
plan  of  Preceptor  Dunn  to  take  the  scholars  through  "  an 
eight  years'  course  of  study  "  was  laid  to  rest.  In  place 
of  it  the  principal  arranged  the  simple  and  sensible  pro- 
gramme of  studies  which  long  held  place  in  the  Academy. 
The  finances  of  the  institution  continued  steadily  to 
improve.  Besides  the  collections  by  the  financial  agent, 
the  tuition  bills  had  grown.  The  treasurer  reported  the 
the  expenditures  from  Nov.  9,  1827  to  Feb.  19, 1828,  to 
have  been  $587.59,  and  the  receipts  from  tuition  for  the 
same  period,  $552.86,  having  a  balance  due  the  treasurer 
of  134.73.  The  tuition  in  the  fall  term  was  $539.12, 
and  the  expenses,  $463.71,  leaving  a  balance  in  favor  of 
the  treasury  of  $75.41.  The  number  of  students  this 
year  by  aggregate  of  terms  was  494.  The  increase  in 
attendance  led  the  trustees  to  increase  the  facilities  for 
instruction,  especially  in  the  department  of  natural  sci- 
ence. To  this  end,  they  decided  "that  a  chemical  and 
philosophical  apparatus  be  procured  for  the  use  of  the 
institution,  and  that  any  money  in  the  treasury  be  taken 
for  the  purpose,  not  otherwise  appropriated.  Provided, 
however,  that  the  expense  of  said  apparatus  shall  not 
exceed  $300."  The  board  of  instruction  was  also  reen- 
forced  by  calling  in,  for  a  part  of  the  year,  the  services 
of  David  Gould  and  Hiram  Ward.  But  the  extremely 
low  price  of  board  made  it  difficult  for  the  treasurer  to 
secure  a  balance  at  the  end  of  the  year.  To  remedy 
this  evil,  the  salaries  of  the  teachers  were  not  to  exceed 
$500  each.  The  washing  also  began  to  be  added  to  the 
board  bill. 


140  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  FLOOD-TIDE   AT   THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY  IN   1829. 

THE  flood-tide  of  interest  and  success  under  Wilbur 
Fisk  touched  high-water  mark  in  1829.  The 
inflow  of  students  was  most  encouraging.  The  religious 
influence  abroad  in  the  school  was  delightful  and  inspir- 
ing, while  an  enthusiasm  in  study  pervaded  the  various 
departments.  The  principal  was  this  year  favored  with 
the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  Augusta  College. 
In  1835  the  same  honor  came  from  Brown  University, 
his  alma  mater. 

The  Rev.  George  Pickering,  the  financial  agent, 
though  diligent  in  his  field,  was  less  successful  than 
during  some  former  years.  The  field  had  been  gleaned. 
The  total  amount  of  his  collections  is  given  as  $561.00; 
subtracting  his  salary  and  travelling  expenses,  $448.00, 
we  have  only  $113.00  net  for  the  treasury,  plainly 
indicating  that  this  source  of  revenue  had  failed. 
Meantime,  another  source  had  been  opened  and  made 
available,  in  the  large  attendance  of  students.  To  the 
meeting  of  May  19th  the  treasurer  reported  the  net 
income  from  tuition  at  $832.40,  as  against  an  expendi- 
ture of  $783.71,  leaving  a  balance  in  favor  of  the  institu- 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  141 

tion  of  $48.68.  At  the  August  meeting  he  reported  the 
receipt  of  $2,769.60,  as  against  an  expenditure  for  the 
same  time  of  $2,635.58,  leaving  in  the  treasury  $134.02. 
At  the  same  time  the  treasurer  stated  that  "the  dues  in 
favor  of  the  institution  exceeds  the  outstanding  debts 
$1,752.56."  The  institution  was  thus  for  the  first  time 
really  out  of  debt.  This  favorable  condition  of  the 
treasury  extends  into  the  next  year.  To  the  meeting 
of  the  board  on  May  18,  1830,  the  treasurer  reports 
the  receipts  from  January  6  to  June  2,  at  $2,022.22; 
expenditure  for  the  same  period,  $1,982.67,  leaving  in 
the  treasury  $39.54,  a  favorable  balance,  though  too 
small  for  the  comfort  of  the  managers  pf  the  institution. 

The  prime  difficulty  was  the  low  price  of  board. 
The  boarding  house,  in  spite  of  the  most  economical 
management  by  the  steward,  was  almost  constantly 
running  behind.  How  could  it  well  be  otherwise  with 
the  board  at  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  week  ?  Though 
he  had  a  genius  for  economy  and  judicious  management, 
even  Solomon  Weeks  failed  to  make  the  ends  meet. 
To  remedy  the  evil,  various  methods  were  devised  in 
vain.  The  institution  was  really  furnishing  board  for 
less  than  cost,  and,  of  course,  a  deficit  was  inevitable. 
As  the  deficit  was  very  small,  they  concluded  each 
year  it  could  be  cured  by  making  some  slight  extra 
charge.  So  they  put  twenty  five  cents  per  dozen  for 
washing,  and  with  this  extra  the  old  prices  ruled  for 
many  years. 

The  remarkable  success  which  had  hitherto  attended 
the  Academy,  in  the  funds  contributed  and  in  the 
number  of  students  in  attendance,  induced  the  leaders 
in  the  enterprise  to  anticipate  larger  things.  In  the 


142  HISTORY  OF 

meeting  of  the  board,  May  19,  1829,  Dr.  Fisk  offered, 
and  Abel  Bliss  seconded,  the  following  resolution,  viz. — 
"Resolved,  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to 
inquire  into  the  expediency  of  erecting  a  college  edifice 
and  of  enlarging  the  course  of  instruction  to  a  complete 
college  course,  and  report  to  the  meeting  in  August 
next."  The  resolution  was  adopted,  and  Wilbur  Fisk, 
John  Lindsa}"  and  Calvin  Brewer  were  chosen  as  the 
committee.  In  the  August  meeting  they  are  "instructed 
to  ascertain,  by  such  means  as  they  shall  judge  best, 
what  can  be  raised  in  Wilbraham  and  vicinity  towards 
erecting  a  college  in  Wilbraham."  Meantime,  the 
movement  had  been  started  which  resulted  in  the 
founding  of  the  Weslevan  University  in  Middletown, 
of  which  Dr.  Fisk  became  the  first  president.  Of 
course  the  new  movement  rendered  it  inexpedient  to 
extend  the  plans  in  Wilbraham,  and  the  committee 
was  discharged. 

The  effort  to  engraft  upon  the  institution  a  manual 
labor  feature  has  been  already  noticed.  Besides  the 
farm  experiment,  they  contemplated  the  erection  of  one 
or  more  buildings  for  the  prosecution  of  various 
mechanic  arts  by  the  students.  Failing  to  make  good 
farmers  by  the  book,  they  still  deemed  it  possible  to 
perform  the  more  difficult  part  of  turning  out  good 
mechanics  from  a  boarding  school.  As  early  as  March 
5,  1828,  the  trustees  resolved  "that,  in  the  opinion  of 
this  board,  the  time  has  come  for  enlarging  our  agricul- 
tural operations  and  for  erecting  mechanical  shops  and 
employing  mechanics."  A  committee,  consisting  of 
Fisk,  Crowell  and  Merrill,  was  appointed  to  report  a 
plan,  The  next  morning  they  reported:  "1.  That  one 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  143 

work  shop  be  erected,  in  some  convenient  place, 
between  this  and  next  November,  of  such  size  and 
dimensions  as  shall  be  deemed  proper,  by  a  committee 
that  shall  be  appointed  for  the  purpose.  [Rice,  A  very 
and  Brewer  were  selected  as  the  committee.]  2.  That  a 
suitable  man  be  obtained  to  devote  his  whole  time  and 
attention  to  improve  and  carry  the  farm  and  oversee 
the  scholars  while  at  labor."  Solomon  Weeks  was 
wisely  chosen  as  the  committee. 

In  this  manual  labor  movement,  mechanics  now  took 
the  lead.  Col.  Binney  favored  the  new  departure,  and 
was  willing  the  income  from  the  Cambridge  property 
should  be  used  for  this  purpose.  In  the  meeting  of 
March  4,  1829,  the  committee  to  build  a  shop  reported 
a  contract  for  a  story-and-a-half  building,  20  by  30, 
which  was  approved  by  the  board.  On  the  sixth  of 
May  they  report  that  a  two-and-a-half  story  building 
had  been  erected  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  lecture 
room  and  laboratory  in  one  of  the  stories.  The  board 
approved  the  committee's  doing.  The  outcome  was 
the  old  "  Laboratoiy  Building,"  which  long  stood  with 
its  gaunt  proportions  and  yellow  paint,  on  the  spot  now 
occupied  by  Binney  Hall.  Whether  the  trustees,  at 
the  time,  had  any  definite  idea  of  what  they  were  to  do 
with  it,  is  not  clear.  That  they  intended  to  manu- 
facture something  in  the  building  is  certain.  To  the 
east  of  the  Academy,  a  dam  was  constructed  across 
the  stream,  a  mill  flume  put  in,  a  trench  dug  most  of  the 
way  from  the  dam  to  "the  Laboratory,"  to  furnish 
water  power;  but  the  trench  was  never  filled  with 
water,  the  building  was  never  furnished  with  any 
mechanical  appliances,  Tradition  claims,  that  chair 


144  HISTORY  OF 

making  was  in  the  minds  of  the  trustees;  but  no  chair 
was  ever  made  there.  Before  their  plans  were  consum- 
mated, they  found  they  had  an  elephant  by  the  ear. 
The  splendid  scheme  shrank  into  the  lecture  room  and 
laboratory.  So  vanished  the  second  phase  of  the 
manual  labor  craze. 

For  many  years  the  building  served  a  good  purpose 
as  affording  experiment  and  recitation  rooms.  The 
Laboratory  was  finally  removed  to  give  place  to  Binney 
Hall.  The  last  act  of  the  manual  labor  drama  appeared 
in  the  appointment  of  "a  committee  with  discretionary 
powers  to  get  into  operation  the  shoe-making  business 
in  connection  with  the  institution."  They  proceeded 
so  far  as  to  introduce  a  shoe  bench  or  two  "into  the 
cock-loft,"  where  Miner  Raymond  was  the  first  to  use 
the  Laboratory  for  mechanical  purposes  by  making  and 
mending  shoes  for  his  class-mates,  from  leather  fur- 
nished by  Abraham  A  very.  Whatever  use  he  made  of 
the  lapstone  and  waxed  ends,  we  feel  quite  sure  that 
he  hammered  out  much  more  good  theology  than  sole- 
leather.  His  final  strokes  on  the  lapstone  sounded  the 
requiem  of  the  grand  experiment  in  manual  labor  as 
a  part  of  education  at  Wilbraham.  The  epidemic  had 
its  run,  and  has  never  since  proved  troublesome  by  any 
second  attack. 

With  manual  labor  came  in  the  mercantile  craze. 
On  the  29th  of  August,  the  board  vote  "that  it  is 
expedient  for  this  board  to  procure  a  store  near  the 
institution  and  furnish  it  with  such  books  and  articles 
of  merchandise  as  may  be  needed  by  the  scholars 
and  the  boarding  house,  and  engage  a  general  agent 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  conduct  the  concerns  of  the 


THE   WESLEYAtf  ACADEMY.  145 

trustees,  in  such  other  matters  of  buying  and  selling  as 
the  interest  of  the  institution  shall  require."  Fisk, 
Avery,  Brewer  and  Joseph  Tobey  were  chosen  to  carry 
this  resolution  into  effect.  The  store  of  Augustus  J. 
Peck  was  purchased  for  $800,  and  the  goods  for  §2,876.68. 
Dr.  Fisk  and  Abel  Bliss  were  made  committee  of  con- 
trol. To  feed  and  guide  the  elephant  raised  a  more 
difficult  problem  than  the  original  capture.  A  year 
later,  a  couple  more  were  added  to  the  committee,  which 
was  authorized  to  sell,  or,  failing  in  that,  to  enlarge 
the  stock  of  goods.  They  were  decidedly  inclined  to 
sell.  A  single  year  had  given  them  abundant  expe- 
rience in  storekeeping.  It  was  a  glad  announcement  of 
the  committee,  February  29,  1832,  "  that  they  had  sold 
all  the  goods  to  John  Williams  and  William  S.  Smith 
for  the  sum  of  $3,928.00,  of  which  $938.00  is  in  cash 
and  the  remainder  in  notes."  At  a  later  date  the 
building  was  disposed  of  at  a  good  lay. 

Thus  happily  ends  without  pecuniary  loss  to  the 
institution  the  mercantile  experiment.  Henceforth  the 
trustees  were  to  be  content  to  do  their  own  work.  If 
unprofitable  as  business  ventures,  these  various  specu- 
lative schemes  furnished  important  lessons  to  the 
managers  of  the  Academy,  on  the  importance  of 
devotion  to  one  work  and  caution  in  touching  new 
enterprises. 

The  resignation  of  Col.  Binney  made  an  important 
change  in  the  board,  where  he  had,  for  so  many  years, 
been  a  counselor  and  pillar  of  strength.  In  the 
financial  department  he  had  led  the  column  as  Dr.  Fisk 
had  done  in  the  literary.  Without  his  genius,  courage 
and  money,  the  educational  attempts  of  the  Methodists 


146  HISTORY  OF 

in  New  England  would  have  been  greatly  delayed,  if 
they  had  not  failed. 

The  by-laws  were  modified  so  as  to  allow  the  Ver- 
mont and  New  Hampshire 'Conferences,  as  well  as  the 
New  England,  to  send  visitors  to  the  Academy.  The 
visitors  are  also  asked  to  report  to  the  Board  and  the 
Conferences.  From  the  first,  the  trustees  guarded 
against  the  insidious  approaches  of  intemperance.  The 
purchase  of  the  village  hotel  removed  the  sale  from  the 
vicinity  of  the  Academy ;  but  a  little  way  off,  a  hotel 
continued  to  sell  liquor.  As  they  furnished  a  good  table, 
some  of  the  fast  students  were  disposed  to  board  there. 
The  trustees  made  short  work  by  forbidding  the 
students  the  privilege  of  boarding  at  houses  where 
ardent  spirits  are  retailed. 

The  Academy  suffered  a  great  loss  this  year  in  the 
resignation  of  Nathaniel  Dunn.  The  occasion  was  the 
reduction  of  the  salary  to  five  hundred  dollars.  After 
leaving  Wilbraham,  Mr.  Dunn  set  up  a  private  school 
in  New  York  City.  In  1840,  he  became  a  teacher  in 
Beekman  Institute,  and  in  1844,  in  the  Hampstead 
Seminary.  Later  he  again  established  a  private  school 
in  New  York,  and  lectured  on  science  at  Rutgers 
College.  He  was  twice  married.  Of  the  five  children 
by  the  first  marriage,  two  died  in  infancy  and  one  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  Andrew  C.  Dunn  resides 
in  Minnesota,  and  Mary.E.  in  New  York  City. 

As  the  first  teacher  at  Wilbraham,  devoted,  earnest, 
and  laborious,  performing  much  valuable  service,  a 
part  of  the  time  single-handed,  during  four  experiment 
and  eventful  years,  in  the  history  of  the  Wesleyan 
Academy,  Nathaniel  Dunn  is  remembered  with  peculiar 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMTf.  147 

interest  by  old  students,  and  deserves  emphatic  mention 
in  thi's  history.  Under  his  instruction  and  guidance 
the  institution  received  an  early  impetus,  and  from  the 
first  day  felt  something  of  his  own  enthusiasm.  For  a 
season  he  was  the  only  teacher,  and  performed  the 
work  of  two  men  with  cheerfulness  and  resolution. 

Mr.  Dunn  was  a  religious  man.  Converted  at  six- 
teen, he  united  with  the  Methodist  Church,  of  which 
he  remained,  to  the  end,  a  faithful  member,  interested 
in  her  progress  and  enlargement  and  devoted  to  move- 
ments for  reform,  especially  in  temperance  and  anti- 
slavery.  In  the  latter  cause,  he  was,  at  one  time,  quite 
prominent.  He  published  John  Wesley's  "  Thoughts 
on  Slavery."  In  literary  taste  he  was  not  deficient. 
"Satan's  Chain  "  is  a  remarkable  poem,  in  blank  verse, 
as  large  as  "  Paradise  Lost,"  and  compares  favorably  in 
style  and  vigor  of  thought  with  Pollok's  "Course  of 
Time." 

"  In  personal  appearance,  Mr.  Dunn  was  slight, 
below  the  middle  size,  with  a  very  dark  complexion, 
straight,  black  hair,  and  very  black,  large,  bright  eyes, 
under  brows  equally  black  and  set  almost  on  a  right 
line.  His  teeth,  with  the  front  uppers  slightly  notched 
as  by  a  file,  were  regular,  and  white  as  snow.  His  me- 
dium, well-shaped  lips  gave  him  a  good  mouth.  His 
voice,  not  heavy,  was  calm,  clear,  distinct,  silvery  with  a 
pleasant  tone ;  and  the  sharp  snap  of  his  eyes  was  often 
tempered  with  a  pleasant  smile.  His  motions  were 
quick  and  angular,  his  walk  rapid.  Emotion  was  easily 
excited  and  quickly  expressed  in  his  countenance. 
Ardent,  often  enthusiastic,  especially  in  natural  science. 
he  was  an  excellent  teacher.  With  fair  natural  talents, 


148  HISTORY  OF 

he  was,  by  great  industry,  much  more  than  an  ordinary 
scholar.  Kind,  devout,  active,  he  was  the  student's 
friend,  in  deed  as  well  as  wish.  In  government,  he  was 
not  equal  to  the  principal,  yet  he  often  stood  in  his 
place  with  a  good  degree  of  success.  In  the  regards 
and  affection  of  the  students,  Mr.  Dunn  stood 
deservedly  high."  * 

*  Rev.  J.  W.  Merrill,  D.D. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  149 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  ORIGINAL  TRUSTEES   AT   WILBRAHAM. 

THE  original  Board  of  Trustees  at  Wilbraham  was 
composed  of  able,  judicious  and  sterling  men,  to 
whose  wise  counsel,  untiring  efforts  and  deep  interest 
in  the  cause  of  Christian  education  the  institution  is  per- 
manently indebted  for  its  early  and  continued  success. 
They  found  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Newmarket  a 
financial  wreck;  they  left  it,  on  the  new  foundation,  an 
attractive  and  flourishing  seat  of  learning.  In  the 
attempt  to  revive  the  old,  they  had,  in  fact,  reared  a 
new  institution  of  superior  grade,  modeled  on  the  New 
England  type.  However  much  indebted  to  the  men 
who  had  preceded  them  in  the  educational  work,  they 
have  the  undimmed  and  imperishable  honor  of  turning 
the  tide,  in  the  battle  for  educational  institutions  in  the 
Methodist  Church  and  of  saving  the  cause  by  leading 
the  forlorn  hope  to  glorious  triumph.  Down  to  this 
time,  the  attempts  at  education  in  the  church  had 
proved  failures  ;  again  and  again  had  the  standard  been 
raised  only  to  go  down  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy, 
dampening  the  courage  of  the  leaders ;  but  from  the 
moment  these  noble  men  assumed  control,  the  cause 


150  HISTORY  OP 

advanced  along  the  entire  line.  To  the  workers  in  the 
cause  of  education  in  every  part  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  Wilbraham  became  a  watchword  and  an  inspi- 
ration. It  was  felt  that  what  had  been  done  there  could 
be  done  in  other  localities.  Touched  by  the  enthusiasm 
and  courage  of  the  leaders  at  Wilbraham.  men  began  to 
spring  up  capable  of  bearing  onward  through  the 
Republic  the  standard  in  the  new  crusade.  As  leaders 
in  this  large  sense,  the  founders  at  Wilbraham  can  never 
be  forgotten  by  the  friends  of  learning  in  the  Methodist 
Church. 

Of  the  nine  original  corporators  we  have  elsewhere 
spoken  of  Binney,  Fisk,  Mudge  and  Lindsay.  We 
here  make  fuller  mention  of  Bliss,  Avery,  Brewer, 
Crowell  and  Rice.  In  this  heroic  band,  it  may  never  be 
forgotten  that  Colonel  Binney,  a  man  of  faith  and  cour- 
age, with  a  brain  to  plan  and  a  hand  to  execute  as  well 
as  a  heart  loyal  to  Jesus  Christ  and  the  church  of  his 
choice,  easily  held  a  foremost  place.  For  fuller  notice 
of  him,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Chapter  21. 

I.      HON.   ABEL  BLISS. 

Of  the  local  trustees,  Hon.  Abel  Bliss,  a  man  of  com- 
manding presence  and  talent,  adapted  not  less  to  public 
position  than  to  the  management  of  private  business,  and 
an  ardent  friend  of  education,  was  most  conspicuous. 
The  son  of  Abel  and  Elizabeth  (Bartlett)  Bliss,  he 
was  born  in  Wilbrahara;  May  24,  1775,  and  died  there 
January  15,  1853.  In  youth  he  was  thoughtful  and  stu- 
dious, and  after  ample  preparation  entered  Cokesbury 
College.  At  the  close  of  his  college  course  he  deter- 


Hon.  ABEL    BLISS. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  151 

mined,  instead  of  entering  any  one  of  the  learned  profes- 
sions, to  devote  his  life  to  agriculture  in  his  native  town. 
As  a  helpmate,  he  took  to  his  Wilbraham  home,  October 
21,  1801,  Miss  Phebe  Lothrop,  of  Norwich,  Ct.  His 
record  is  that  of  a  quiet  country  farmer  with  ample  acres 
and  abundant  means,  with  a  home  of  comfort  and  intel- 
ligence. 

As  a  religious  man,  he  was  devoted  and  constant  in 
duty.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  while  preparing  for 
college  at  Tolland,  Ct.,  he  was  converted  under  the 
preaching  of  Hope  Hull.  The  text  impressed  him, 
[Proverbs  29 :  1]  as  well  as  the  spirit  of  the  preacher. 
After  some  days  of  mental  struggle,  he  came  to  the 
light  and  rejoiced  in  the  peace  of  the  gospel.  The 
opposition-  to  the  Methodists,  just  then  entering  his 
native  town,  so  far  from  alienating,  attached  more 
firmly  to  the  new  faith  one  whose  independence,  cour- 
age and  determination  qualified  him  for  leadership  in 
troublous  times.  Of  the  Methodist  Church,  which  he 
at  once  joined,  he  remained  for  sixty  years  a  faithful 
and  honored  member,  holding  for  many  of  those  years 
the  offices  of  steward  and  trustee. 

Mr.  Bliss  possessed  striking  traits  of  character.  Pos- 
itive in  his  convictions,  resolute  in  purpose  and  indom- 
itable in  courage,  he  was  at  once  theoretical  and 
practical.  In  the  performance  of  duty,  he  was  guided 
rather  by  reason  and  conscience  than  emotion.  With  a 
high  sense  of  rectitude  and  social  propriety,  he  took  his 
principles  into  civil  and  business  relations.  Following 
the  Apostolic  precept,  he  ruled  his  own  house  well, 
having  his  children  in  subjection.  At  morning  and  even- 
ing he  read  the  Bible  and  offered  prayer,  and  in  the 


152  HISTORY  OF 

observance  of  the  Lord's  Day  he  was  constant  and  strict. 
He  had  the  good  fortune  to  see  all  his  children  grow 
up  in  virtue  and  become  united  with  him  in  church 
fellowship. 

In  the  enterprises  of  benevolence  and  reform,  he 
cherished  a  deep  and  abiding  interest.  In  temperance 
he  ante-dated  the  reform  itself.  Prior  to  the  founding 
of  the  Academy,  the  manufacture  or  sale,  as  well  as  the 
use  of  intoxicants,  was  common  in  town.  In  most  fam- 
ilies liquor  was  kept  on  the  sideboard  and  furnished  for 
the  table,  especially  for  guests.  Like  others  about  him, 
Abel  Bliss,  not  only  used  but  manufactured  the  article. 
At  the  instance  of  Abraham  Avery,  his  brother-in-law, 
the  use  and  manufacture  were  abandoned.  As  a  result, 
he  was  led  to  a  thorough  canvass  of  the  whole  subject 
and  came  out  decidedly  in  favor  of  total  abstinence,  a 
position  he  steadily  and  persistently  maintained  to  the 
close  of  life.  As  a  trustee  of  the  Academy,  he  exerted 
his  utmost  influence  to  banish  temptation  from  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  school. 

In  the  anti-slavery  cause,  too,  he  was  a  foremost  and 
fearless  leader.  Bold  in  his  rebuke  of  the  master  and 
denunciation  of  the  institution,  his  sympathies  for  the 
slave  were  deeply  stirred.  What  was  so  fully  believed 
and  intensely  felt  was  advocated  with  earnestness  and 
ability.  In  the  cause  of  missions,  also,  his  interest  was 
evidenced  by  his  constant  and  liberal  contributions.  On 
his  last  Sabbath,  though  not  well,  he  insisted  on  going 
to  church,  as  it  was  missionary  day,  and  he  must  be  in  his 
place  to  hear  the  discourse  and  make  his  contribution. 

As  a  man  of  intelligence  and  social  position,  he  was 
often  honored  and  trusted  by  his  fellow-citizens.  On 


TSE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  153 

most  public  occasions  he  was  called  to  preside,  and  he 
invariably  performed  the  duty  with  dignity  and  ability. 
In  political  matters  he  was  long  prominent,  representing 
the  county  in  the  State  Senate  and  the  town  five  times 
in  the  House.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  of  1820. 

A  liberally-educated  man  himself,  he  ever  manifested 
a  deep  interest  in  education,  especially  in  his  own 
church.  An  original  trustee,  he  was  also  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  the  funds  of  the  Academy.  Though  devoted 
to  many  public  interests,  he  was  not  unmindful  of  his 
own  private  affairs.  With  habits  of  industry,  enter- 
prise and  economy,  he  became  a  successful  cultivator  of 
the  soil,  an  intelligent  and  large-minded  farmer.  An 
early  riser  himself,  he  was  sure  to  set  the  house  in 
motion,  while  at  the  same  time  keeping  a  vigilant  out- 
look upon  his  affairs.  To  the  very  last,  he  was  a  great 
reader.  In  later  years,  he  took  ten  or  a  dozen  papers, 
some  of  them  dailies,  and  they  were  all  read  through, 
often  including  advertisements,  while  most  people  in 
the  town  were  asleep. 

In  advanced  life,  with  his  large,  erect  and  stalwart 
form,  his  resolute  air  and  whitened  locks,  he  presented 
a  commanding  and  patriarchal  appearance,  which  no 
one  who  saw  him  could  ever  forget.  The  figure  was 
that  of  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school.  The  iron  of  his 
earlier  manhood  was  then  a  good  deal  softened  and 
moulded  into  forms  of  grace  and  spiritual  beauty.  He 
felt,  as  it  were,  the  touch  of  the  invisible  realities,  from 
which,  for  many  months,  he  was  separated  by  only  a 
gauze  partition,  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  rent  asun- 
der. Upon  the  margin  of  the  two  worlds  he  trod 


154  HISTORY  OF 

thoughtfully,  reverently,  yet  without  fear  and  full  of 
immortal  hope.  In  his  sleigh,  while  passing  from  the 
street  to  his  home,  without  a  word  or  sigh,  he  was  trans- 
lated from  the  unsubstantial  shadows  of  earth  to  the 
realities  of  heaven.* 

II.      ABRAHAM   AVERY. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board,  March  5, 1842  Abraham 
Avery,  an  original  trustee  and  the  first  treasurer  of  the 
Board,  resigned  his  office  as  treasurer,  and  the  place  was 
filled  by  the  election  of  Wilbur  Fisk.  The  feelings  of 
the  corporation,  on  the  occasion,  were  expressed  in  a 
resolution  offered  by  Joseph  A.  Merrill,  and  seconded 
by  Timothy  Merritt,  in  the  following  words:  "  Resolved, 
That  the  thanks  of  this  Board  be  presented  to  Abraham 
Avery  for  the  able  and  satisfactory  manner  in  which  he 
has  discharged  the  duty  of  treasurer  of  the  corporation." 

Abraham  Avery  was  born  in  Montville,  Ct.,  June 
22,  1782,  and  died  in  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  October  8, 
1853.  He  came  of  an  honored  and  courageous  stock, 
his  emigrant  ancestor  who  came  to  Boston  in  1630,  being 
Christopher  Avery,  who  finally  settled  with  the  younger 
Winthrop's  company  in  New  London,  Ct.  The  family 
was  conspicuous  for  sterling  qualities  in  church  and 
state.  In  his  infancy,  Abraham  Avery  was  taken  by 
his  parents  to  Glastonbury,  the  home  of  his  mother,  a 
grand-daughter  of  Rev.  Timothy  Stevens,  the  minister 
of  the  parish,  and  after  her  death  he  was  apprenticed  to 
Elias  Hyde  to  learn  the  saddlers'  and  harness  makers' 
trade.  Here  he  became  religious  and  joined  the  Meth- 

*  History  of  Wilbraham.    For  some  of  these  facts,  I  am  indebted  to  Rev.  Stephen 
Cushing's  Memorial  Address. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  155 

odist  Church.  On  coming  of  age,  he  removed  to  Wil- 
braham  where  he  opened  a  flourishing  business  and 
became  a  valued  and  useful  member  of  the  local  church, 
then  few  in  numbers  and  feeble  in  resources.  The 
opposition  to  the  new  sect,  at  the  time,  was  strong. 
The  standing  order  thought  the  new  comers  had  no 
right  to  be;  but  if  they  continued  to  be,  they  claimed 
the  right  to  tax  them  for  the  support  of  the  established 
faith. 

This  tax  played  a  great  part  in  the  religious  contro- 
versies of  the  period.  There  were  men  like  Avery  who 
refused  to  pay  the  tax.  The  insistence  of  the  authori- 
ties only  brought  out  the  martyr  stuff  in  the  opposition. 
In  this  battle  against  wrong,  -Avery  was  a  foremost 
leader,  who  never  feared  to  speak  his  mind  or  to  stand 
as  a  wall  against  the  tax.  Dr.  Stebbins,  in  his  Centen- 
nial Address,  gives  an  amusing  incident  illustrative  at 
once  of  the  character  of  the  man  and  the  temper  of  the 
times:  — 

"The  collector  came  to  get  the  tax.  'Get  it  if  you 
can,'  said  Avery.  Now  Avery  could  make  a  good  sad- 
dle —  one  that  the  Queen's  horse  guards  would  be  proud 
of  —  in  finish,  and  whose  strength  would  have  carried 
any  of  the  six  hundred  through  the  immortal  charge  of 
Inkerman.  So  in  his  meditations,  Avery  determined  to 
make  a  saddle  to  pay  his  tax  withal.  He  selected  the 
pieces  of  leather  which  best  pleased  the  eye  and  fitted 
them  together  as  he  well  knew  how,  being  a  skillful 
worker  in  leather,  and  mounted  it  with  shining  metal  so 
that  it  was  very  tempting  to  look  upon,  like  the  forbid- 
den fruit  of  Eden.  Avery  knew  that  the  strength  was 
not  equal  to  the  beauty  thereof;  but  it  was  not  for 


156  HISTORY  OF 

sound  doctrine  he  made  it,  so  he  delighted  in  correspon- 
dency. 

"  The  collector  came  ;  the  shop  had  been  cleared  of 
most  of  the  other  work,  and  when  he  cast  his  eye  upon 
the  saddle  he  did  covet  it  much  for  his  taxes,  and  was 
much  delighted  when  Avery  refused  to  pay  them.  '  I 
must  take  this  nice  saddle,  then,'  said  the  publican. 
'  Take  it,  then,'  quoth  Avery.  As  it  was  taken  down, 
Avery's  face  was  sparkling  with  delight.  It  was  sold 
at  auction  at  a  good  price,  far  above  the  amount  of  the 
taxes,  for  it  was  known  that  Avery's  saddles  were  of 
the  best.  The  constable  offered  the  excess  of  the  sale 
over  the  tax  to  Avery,  but  he  would  not  take  it.  The 
constable  tendered  him  the  balance  in  gold,  but  Avery 
refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it.  The  saddle  was 
purchased  by  a  man  from  Belchertoxvn,  who  was  tempted 
to  try  it  early.  It  looked  magnificently  on  his  horse. 
He  sprang  upon  it.  Out  came  the  stirrups !  Down 
broke  the  seat !  Out  came  the  bridge  !  Off  dropped 
the  sides  !  He  spoke  words  of  Avery  and  the  saddle 
which  were  not  lawful  to  be  spoken  and  should  not  be 
written.  He  came  to  Avery  in  great  wrath  and  asked 
him  if  he  did  not  warrant  his  saddles.  '  Certainly/ — 
'Well,  then,'  he  replied,  ' look  at  this  saddle.' — 'Ah! 
that  is  a  Presbyterian  saddle.  I  have  nothing  to  do  with 
that.'  And  with  a  relish  of  satisfaction,  he  again  drew 
his  strong  waxed-end  through  the  leather  upon  which 
he  was  at  work,  for  he  enjoyed  hugely  what  had  come 
to  pass."  * 

As  a  business  man,  Mr.  Avery  was  industrious,  eco- 
nomical, judicious  and  successful.  Among  the  business 

•History  of  Wilbraham,  by  Eev.  R.  P.  Stebbins,  D.D.,  p.  254. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  157 

men  of  the  section,  lie  was  eminent  for  integrity  and 
capacity,  and  his  counsel  was  not  seldom  sought  in 
emergencies  and  in  regard  to  important  enterprises. 
In  town  and  county  affairs  he  was  active,  and  in  1832 
and  1834  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  where  he 
was  useful,  especially  in  considering  financial  questions. 
In  popular  education  he  cherished  a  deep  and  permanent 
interest,  and  was  foremost,  as  we  have  seen,  in  founding 
the  Wesleyan  Academy.  As  treasurer  of  the  Board,  he 
did  much  by  his  care,  counsels  and  contributions  to  aid 
the  institution  in  its  early  struggles.  Upon  Avery  and 
Bliss  the  principal  invariably  leaned  for  support.  One 
of  the  original  trustees,  Mr.  Avery  continued  until  he 
retired  from  business  in  1842.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Board  at  Middletown,  from  1831  to  1837. 

Stern  and  Puritanic  in  temper,  Mr.  Avery  was  yet 
benevolent  in  feeling  and  generous  in  his  impulses  ;  he 
was  fond  of  story  and  anecdote,  and  appreciated  in  a 
quiet  way  whatever  was  humorous.  Quick  and  accu- 
rate in  thought  and  incisive  in  statement,  he  was  an  un- 
comfortable opponent.  With  a  sense  of  justice  and  love 
of  liberty,  he  joined  earnestly  in  the  anti-slavery  move- 
ment, and  was  an  early  advocate  of  temperance. 

He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Lois, 
daughter  of  Abel  Bliss,  Sr.  His  second  wife  was 
Belinda  Cordelia,  daughter  of  William  Brewer.  Addi- 
son,  Julia,  and  Abraham  were  children  of  the  first  mar- 
riage, the  last  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Rand  &  Avery,  printers,  of  Boston. 


158  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  ORIGINAL  TRUSTEES   AT   WILBRAHAM. 

[CONTINUED.] 
III.      THE   REV.    CALVIN    BREWER. 

THE  Rev.  Calvin  Brewer,  one  of  the  original  trus- 
tees, whose  name  has  been  honorably  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  founding  of  the  Academy  at 
Wilbraham,  was  born  February  16,  1787,  and  died 
November  29,  1875.  On  the  father's  side,  he  inherited 
some  of  the  best  blood  of  New  England.  The  Rev. 
Daniel  Brewer,  the  third  minister  of  Springfield  and  a 
leading  man  in  the  Connecticut  Valley,  was  his  great- 
grandfather. Daniel  Brewer  married  Catherine  Chaun- 
cey,  a  descendant  of  Rev.  Charles  Chauncey,  President 
of  Harvard  College.  Charles  and  Anna  Brewer,  the 
parents  of  Calvin,  were  devout  Methodists,  residing  on 
the  Dr.  Jesse  Rice  place,  where  the  Methodists  held 
their  first  meetings  in  town.  The  preachers  were  often 
at  the  house  of  Charles  Brewer,  and  so  the  son  grew  up 
in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  Methodism.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-six,  he  was  converted  at  a  camp  meeting  held  in 
the  place  and  joined  the  young  society.  Zealous  in 


Rev.   CALVIN    BREWER. 


WILLIAM    RICE,   Sen. 
(In  Youth.) 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  159 

prayer  and  exhortation,  he  was  soon  honored  with  a  local 
preacher's  license,  and  in  1826  was  ordained  by  Bishop 
George  at  a  Conference  in  Providence.  In  his  younger 
years,  Mr.  Brewer  often  preached  in  the  local  church 
and  vicinity. 

As  above  stated,  he  was  active  in  the  founding  of  the 
Academy.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  in  Boston 
he  was  present,  and  also  at  the  fiftieth  anniversary  in 
the  same  place;  and,  during  the  intervening  years,  he 
performed  much  valuable  service  for  the  Academy. 

In  person,  Mr.  Brewer  was  tall,  large  framed  and  well 
proportioned,  with  a  gentlemanly,  even  a  courtly  bear- 
ing. In  conversation,  he  was  ready,  intelligent  and 
agreeable  ;  and,  especially  in  later  years,  he  delighted  in 
reminiscences  of  the  past.  The  early  struggles  of 
Methodism  in  the  valley  and  the  first  attempts  to  found 
the  Wesleyan  Academy,  were  vividly  recalled.  To  the 
last  day  of  his  life,  he  esteemed  it  a  high  honor  to  have 
been  connected  with  the  genesis  of  the  church  and  the 
school. 

At  an  early  day,  before  the  temperance  reform  began, 
he  became  a  total  abstainer  from  intoxicants,  the  mod- 
erate use  of  which  was  then  common.  To  abstain 
totally  was  to  be  singular;  but  in  what  he  thought 
right,  Mr.  Brewer  always  dared  to  stand  alone.  But, 
quick  as  was  his  appreciation  of  the  virtue  of  temper- 
ance, he  never  realized  the  enormities  of  the  slave  sys- 
tem. Though  living  in  the  hot-bed  of  anti-slavery,  his 
heart  went  with  the  rebellion.  In  his  view,  the  slave 
masters  were  the  injured  class  who  had  risen  up  in 
defense  of  their  liberties.  The  same  independence  lie 
had  exhibited  in  other  matters  was  shown  in  his  adher- 


180  HISTORY  OF 

ence  to  the  cause  of  the  South.  During  the  war,  he  stood 
alone  in  the  community,  but  he  stood  as  a  brazen  wall, 
unyielding.  If  unable  to  sympathize  with  his  political 
views,  we  cannot  fail  to  appreciate  the  courage  and  res- 
oluteness implied  in  standing  by  a  cause  so  unpopular. 
As  an  explanation  of  his  obstructive  course,  we  must 
remember  that  he  was  an  old  man,  whose  opinions  had 
crystalized  when  the  arbitrament  of  arms  came.  Besides, 
he  had  relatives  in  the  South  and  had  spent  much  time 
there  himself.  Like  many  other  men  from  the  North, 
he  found  excellent  people  in  the  South ;  and,  in  judging 
the  question  before  the  country,  he  held  the  rights  of 
these  good  people,  rather  than  the  rights  of  the  colored 
millions,  in  view. 

The  last  years  of  Mr.  Brewer,  though  darkened  by 
affliction  in  his  family,  were  tranquil  and  delightful. 
The  death  of  four  of  his  five  children  cast  shadows  upon 
his  household.  One  wife  had  died  long  ago ;  a  second 
passed  on  three  years  before  him.  Time  had  shaken  him 
by  the  hand  and  weakened  his  strength  by  the  way. 
But,  increasing  infirmities  and  changes  did  not  lessen 
his  interest  in  passing  events ;  and,  even  when  hearing 
became  impaired,  he  found  great  pleasure  in  reading. 
Like  most  aged  people,  he  delighted  to  re-live  the  past. 
The  vigor  and  freshness  of  his  correspondence  in 
extreme  age  are  notable.  At  the  time  of  his  decease,  he 
had  become  the  oldest  inhabitant  in  the  town,  and  yet 
he  remained  fresh  in  his  feelings  and  sympathies;  and 
the  Christian  experience  and  hopes  which  he  had  cher- 
ished from  his  youth,  continued  to  afford  him  comfort 
and  to  brighten  up  all  his  future. 

The  trustees  in  formal  resolution  ''express  their  grate- 


Rev.  JOSHUA    CROW  ELL. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  161 

ful  remembrance  of  his  long  and  faithful  services  in 
behalf  of  education  and  in  the  interest  of  the  institution, 
and  are  thankful  that  he  was  spared  so  long  to  witness 
the  prosperity  of  the  Academy  which  will  ever  remain 
the  monument  of  the  wisdom  and  piety  of  its  founders." 

IV.      REV.   JOSHUA  CROWELL. 

The  Rev.  Joshua  Crowell,  a  careful  thinker,  a  good 
preacher  and  a  devoted  friend  of  education,  was  born  in 
West  Brookfield,  September  15,  1777,  and  died  in  Stur- 
bridge,  July  21,  1858.  Trained  in  the  Congregational 
Church,  he  was  early  taught  to  reverence  the  Sabbath, 
to  recite  the  catechism,  and  to  memorize  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments and  the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  serious  impres- 
sions of  very  early  life  deepened  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
into  experimental  piety.  The  death  of  his  father  left 
the  cares  of  the  home  and  farm  with  him,  and  he  anti- 
cipated nothing  higher  than  the  management  of  the 
paternal  estate.  The  coming  of  the  itinerants  changed 
all  his  plans. 

In  passing  through  the  country,  Reuben  Hubbard 
stopped  at  the  Crowell  home  to  bait  his  horse  and 
refresh  himself,  and,  as  was  the  wont  of  the  early  itiner- 
ants, he  took  occasion  to  exhort  the  family.  He  was 
followed  by  Elijah  Bachelor,  a  famous  preacher,  who 
preached  to  a  small  company  gathered  at  the  Crowell 
place,  and  organized  a  class,  the  nucleus  of  the  once 
famous  "  Ragged  Hill  Society "  on  the  edge  of  Brook- 
field.  After  some  experience  in  leading  meetings  and 
exhorting,  Crowell  tried  his  gifts,  in  1800,  on  a  circuit, 
studying  theology  in  the  saddle.  He  often  exhorted 
after  Bromly  to  the  edification  and  comfort  of  the  peo- 


162  HISTORY  OF 

pie,  without  a  word  of  encouragement  from  his  superior. 
Under  Brodhead,  on  the  Vershire  Circuit,  he  found 
more  freedom  and  encouragement.  At  the  close  of  the 
year,  he  joined  the  Conference  in  the  class  with  Elijah 
Hedding,  Thomas  Branch,  Seth  Crowell,  and  Martin 
Ruter.  He  traveled  the  Hanover,  Brandon,  Ashburn- 
ham,  Granville,  New  London,  Pomfret  and  Warren  cir- 
cuits, where  his  services  were  highly  appreciated. 

In  1809,  just  as  he  was  rising  into  notice,  he  located 
and  settled  in  Ware,  Mass.  As  a  merchant,  he  was  still 
serviceable  to  the  church  by  his  influence  and  preach- 
ing in  the  vicinity.  With  the  cares  of  business,  he 
remained  steadfast  in  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  and  interested  in  the  extension  of  his  own  form 
of  faith. 

With  a  stalwart  frame,  solid  build,  noble  head,  sandy 
complexion,  hair  and  beard,  he  presented  a  plain  but 
gentlemanly  bearing  and  commanding  presence.  He 
furnished  a  fair  sample  of  the  early  itinerant,  plain, 
simple,  affable  and  earnest.  A  constant  and  careful 
Bible  reader,  he  was  well  versed  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
gospel,  and  was  able  to  defend  the  special  views  of  the 
sect  to  which  he  belonged.  In  his  convictions,  he  was 
clear  and  positive,  with  ideas  to  which  he  adhered  with 
tenacity.  Trained  in  the  presence  of  rigid  and  even  of 
bigoted  orthodoxy,  he  became  a  staunch  Methodist, 
cherishing  a  deep  love  for  the  teachings  and  usages  of  a 
people  then  everywhere  spoken  against.  Like  other 
early  Methodists,  he  had  trouble  with  the  ecclesiastical 
tax,  in  refusing  to  pay  which  the  officer  levied  on  his 
cow. 

Joshua  Crowell  was  in  sympathy  with  every  good 


WILLIAM    RICE,   Sen. 


THE   WES  LEY  AN  ACADEMY.  163 

cause.  He  was  a  pronounced  temperance  man.  At  an 
early  day,  also,  he  entered  into  the  movement  for  the 
overthrow  of  slavery.  With  the  efforts  to  establish 
educational  institutions  in  the  Methodist  Church,  he 
was  honorably  connected.  Early  realizing  the  value  of 
intellectual  training,  all  the  more  from  his  own  want  of 
opportunities,  he  joined  hands  with  those  who  were 
laboring  to  furnish,  to  the  rising  generation,  better 
facilities  for  education.  .With  the  efforts  to  found  the 
Wesleyan  Academy,  he  was  in  cordial  and  deep  sympa- 
thy, and,  as  an  original  member  of  the  board,  he  per- 
formed much  faithful  service  in  planning  and  develop- 
ing the  institution.  Though  living  seventeen  miles 
away,  he  was  invariably  present  at  the  meetings  of  the 
board  during  his  eleven  years  of  service.  In  the  trial 
of  the  new  measures  and  movements  of  that  experi- 
mental period,  his  clear,  practical  thought  and  sound 
judgment  were  of  signal  service  in  steering  clear  of 
breakers.  In  1835,  as  he  was  unable  to  give  adequate 
attention  to  the  duties  of  the  position,  he  resigned. 

Among  his  eight  children  was  the  late  Dr.  Laranus 
Crowell,  for  some  years  also  a  trustee  of  the  Wes- 
leyan Academy,  Joshua  Crowell,  of  Ware,  and  Judge 
Robert  F.  Crowell,  of  Washington,  D.C.,  are  still  living. 

V.      WILLIAM    RICE. 

William  Rice,  the  honest  trader,  the  incorruptible 
public  functionary,  the  genuine  Christian  and  devoted 
Methodist,  was  born  in  Belchertown,  in  1788,  and  died 
in  Springfield,  February  11, 1868.  He  was  a  descendant 
of  Edmund  Rice,  the  emigrant  who  settled  in  Sudburv 
in  1640.  The  father  of  William  Rice,  descended  froi,. 


164  HISTORY  OF 

the  above  Edmund,  married  an  Allen  of  Concord, 
cousin  of  the  famous  Ethan  Allen,  who  was  at  home  to 
witness  the  famous  Concord  fight.  In  the  latter  part 
of  the  war,  this  Elder  Rice  entered  the  army  with  his 
brother  who  had  fought  at  Bunker  Hill.  After  his 
marriage,  the  elder  Rice  removed  to  Belchertown, 
where  his  son,  the  William  Rice  of  this  record,  was 
born,  as  above.  As  the  family  was  poor,  the  children 
were  expected  early  to  care  for  themselves.  At  the  age 
of  thirteen,  with  the  traditional  bundle  of  clothing  on 
his  shoulder,  William  Rice  walked  to  Wilbraham  to 
learn  the  carpenter  and  joiner's  trade  (these  including 
painting  and  the  manufacture  of  furniture)  with  an 
older  brother,  who  had  preceded  him.  The  next  year 
he  followed  his  brother  to  Western  New  York,  then  a 
wilderness,  where  a  cabin  was  built  in  one  of  the  new 
settlements,  through  whose  roof  the  stars  were  visible 
at  night  and  the  snow  sifted  in  the  winter.  In  this  for- 
bidding country  they  remained,  however,  but  a  few 
months,  and  then  returned  to  Wilbraham.  In  1809,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Jerusha,  daughter  of  David 
Warriner,  who  occupied  the  farm  now  owned  by  the 
institution.  During  the  war  of  1812,  he  was  associated 
with  his  brother-in-law,  in  keeping  a  hotel  in  the  build- 
ing, afterwards  purchased  and  occupied  as  a  boarding 
house  for  the  Academy.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he 
was  employed  for  a  while  by  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment as  deputy  collector  of  the  war  tax  for  Hampden 
County. 

In  connection  with  the  revival  of  1813,  which  origi- 
nated in  the  Wilbraham  Camp  Meeting  and  extended 
into  the  village  and  town,  resulting  in  a  large  increase 


Rev.    FRED.    MERRICK. 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  165 

to  the  local  church,  William  Rice  was  converted,  and, 
though  earnestly  solicited  to  unite  with  the  Congrega- 
tionalists,  immediately  joined  the  Methodist  Church. 
The  change  in  his  life  from  old  tilings  to  new  was  very 
striking.  From  1816  to  1830  he  was  engaged  in  trade 
in  Springfield,  a  part  of  the  time  in  company  with  the 
Rev.  Daniel  Dorchester,  Sr.,  who  had  beeji  a  pastor  in 
the  place.  At  a  later  date,  Frederick  Merrick,  (later 
Rev.  Dr.  Merrick,  President  of  Ohio  Wesleyan,)  who 
had  long  acted  as  a  clerk,  entered  the  firm.  The  firm 
name,  "Rice,  Dorchester  &  Merrick,"  is  still  shown  on 
the  sign.  Young  Merrick,  though  belonging  to  a  cler- 
ical family  of  Congregationalists  in  Wilbraham,  was 
converted  at  the  family  altar  of  Mr.  Rice,  with  whom  he 
boarded,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Church  in  Spring- 
field. Under  the  conviction  that  he  was  called  of  God 
to  preach,  he  left  business  to  prepare  for  college. 

On  going  to  Springfield,  Mr.  Rice  at  once  united 
with  the  little  band  of  Methodists  there.  At  the  time, 
there  was  no  Methodist  Church  in  the  village ;  the  few 
members  met  in  private  houses,  and  often  in  the  summer 
in  a  grove.  They  frequently  met  at  the  house  of  Wil- 
liam Rice.  The  planks  are  still  in  existence  which  were 
used  for  seats  on  those  occasions.  In  the  church  he 
was  always  active  and  efficient ;  he  held  many  official 
positions  —  was  steward,  trustee,  superintendent — to 
the  close  of  life.  Of  the  class  on  the  street,  the  nucleus 
of  Pyncheon  Street  (now  Trinity)  Church,  he  was  the 
first  leader.  The  original  class  paper,  with  the  seven 
names,  then  constituting  the  entire  Methodist  force  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  city,  is  still  in  existence.  As  the 
best  known  Methodist  in  the  county,  he  was  helpful  to 


166  BISTORT  Of 

suburban  churches,  by  his  advice,  influence,  material 
aid  and  official  service.  In  some  of  these  outside 
churches  he  served  as  trustee. 

In  1830,  Mr.  Rice  was  elected  Register  of  Deeds  for 
the  County  of  Hampden,  a  position  he  retained  through 
all  the  fluctuations  of  parties  down  to  1860.  In  1838, 
he  was  elected  county  treasurer  and  held  the  two 
offices  for  eighteen  years.  This  long  term  of  office  is 
the  more  remarkable,  as  the  political  party  to  which  he 
belonged  was,  for  the  larger  part  of  the  period,  in  the 
minority.  In  his  many  years  of  public  service,  the  peo- 
ple of  the  county  learned  to  trust  and  honor  him  for 
his  works  and  worth. 

William  Rice  was  a  model  business  man,  enterprising, 
active,  diligent  and  at  the  same  time  cautious  and  saga- 
cious. He  observed  the  golden  mean  between  timidity 
and  rash  adventure.  In  all  his  relations  he  was  a  level 
man,  holding  himself  in  admirable  equipoise.  To  an 
unusual  extent,  he  secured  and  retained  his  hold  on  the 
confidence  of  his  fellow  men.  With  all  who  knew  him, 
his  word  was  equal  to  his  bond.  Prior  to  his  election 
as  Register,  he  held  nearly  every  office  in  Springfield  — 
selectman,  assessor,  and  representative  in  the  legisla- 
ture. As  arbitrator  in  cases  taken  from  the  courts, 
and  as  justice  of  the  peace,  he  had  frequent  calls  to 
preside  in  the  trial  of  such  cases  as  came  before  justices, 
prior  to  the  organization  of  the  police  court.  Though 
his  educational  advantages  had  been  meager  in  his  boy- 
hood, he  became  well  informed  on  general  subjects,  and 
was  able  to  use  his  knowledge  in  the  official  positions 
which  he  held  and  in  the  ordinary  relations  of  life,  with' 
sound  judgment  and  taste. 


THE  WEBLETAN  ACADEMY.  167 

As  a  Christian,  Mr.  Rice  joined  to  intelligence, 
breadth  and  catholicity,  a  child-like  simplicity  and 
meekness.  Guilelessness  was  stamped  upon  his  counte- 
nance and  gentleness  was  in  the  tones  of  his  voice. 
Controlled  by  the  law  of  kindness,  loving  all  Christians, 
he  intensely  appreciated  the  faith  of  the  Wesleys.  His 
house  was  the  meeting  place  of  the  preachers,  where  the 
old  guard  —  Hedding,  Fisk,  Scott,  Merritt,  Lindsay 
and  others  —  were  often  found.  Attentive  to  the  more 
conspicuous  concerns  of  the  denomination,  he  was  at 
the  same  time  active  in  the  use  of  the  ordinary  means 
of  grace.  Liberal  in  his  contributions  to  the  church 
and  charitable  purposes,  he  was  in  full  sympathy  with 
the  causes  of  reform,  especially  those  of  temperance 
and  anti-slavery. 

His  was  a  delightful  Christian  home.  "I  cannot 
recall  an  unkind  word  as  having  been  spoken  in  the 
family  during  the  years  I  was  in  it.  It  seemed  always 
governed  by  a  sweet  Christian  spirit.  One  crisis  hour 
in  my  life,  at  evening  prayer,  I  can  never  forget.  The 
family  had  been  at  meeting  at  the  Water  Shops.  I  had 
been  pondering  the  subject  of  my  spiritual  interests 
alone  at  the  store,  and  had  resolved  to  seek  the  great 
salvation.  As  your  father  poured  out  his  soul  in  fer- 
vent supplication,  my  feelings  were  so  overcome  that  I 
sobbed  aloud.  At  the  close  of  the  prayer,  he  spoke 
very  tenderly  and  encouragingly  to  me,  and  then  your 
sister  Jerusha,  a  mere  child,  but  sweetly  saved,  rushed 
to  me,  crying,  'O  Frederick!  believe  in  Jesus,  believe 
in  Jesus.'  The  next  morning,  I  could  unite  with  them 
as  one  saved  by  believing  in  Jesus."* 

•Rev.  Frederick  Merrick,  D.D.,  Letter  to  Dr.  Rice. 


168  HISTORY  Of 

A  devoted  and  constant  friend  of  education,  he  was 
untiring  in  his  efforts  to  establish  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy. At  the  founding,  he  gave  one-third  of  his  prop- 
erty to  this  great  cause,  and  on  later  occasions  he  con- 
tributed liberally  for  its  enlargement  and  completion. 
Early  and  late  he  studied  the  interests  of  the  institu- 
tion. For  many  years  he  was  president  of  the  board 
of  trustees  and  was  constant  in  attendance  at  its  meet- 
ings, often  at  no  little  inconvenience. 

In  view  of  the  entire  record,  one  cannot  fail  to  realize 
that  he  was  a  rounded,  balanced,  complete  man,  shaped 
after  a  divine  ideal,  and  devoted  to  the  service  of  the 
Master  as  well  as  to  the  noblest  alms  deeds  among  men. 
The  memory  of  such  a  life,  so  simple,  sincere,  true  and 
useful,  is  the  precious  inheritance  of  those  who  came 
after  him. 

The  Board  say  of  him :  "  Resolved,  That,  in  the  death 
of  William  Rice,  one  of  the  founders  of  this  Seminary, 
and  one  who  has  served  it  with  great  fidelity,  as  a 
trustee,  from  its  organization  to  his  death,  it  has  lost 
one  of  its  strongest  and  most  reliable  friends  and  sup- 
porters. 

"That  we  will  ever  cherish  an  affectionate  remem- 
brance of  the  sterling  virtues  of  our  departed  associate, 
of  his  wise  and  prudent  counsels,  his  far-seeing  sagacity, 
his  faithfulness  and  generosity,  his  transparent  purity 
of  purpose  and  his  undoubted  Christian  integrity. 

"  That  from  the  eminently  useful  life  of  William  Rice, 
and  from  the  Christian  faith  and  peace  that  supported 
him  in  life  and  death,  and  from  the  affectionate  esteem 
in  which  his  memory  is  now  held,  we  are  encouraged  to 
follow  him  as  he  followed  Christ ;  and  we  rejoice  in  the 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  169 

belief  that,  though  from  time  to  time  God  calls  His 
workmen  home,  He  will  raise  up  others  to  fill  their 
places  and  to  carry  on  His  work." 

We  give  two  pictures  of  Mr.  Rice.  The  one  in  the 
group  exhibits  his  appearance  in  youth,  and  the  full 
page  one  represents  him  in  middle  life.  Neither  is  a 
good  representation  of  him  as  he  appeared  in  later 
years. 


170  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XX. 

STUDENTS   UNDER   DR.   FISK. 

THE  glory  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  is  reflected  in 
the  lives  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen,  trained  for 
the  responsible  positions  of  society,  in  its  halls.  Of 
these,  not  less  than  eleven  hundred  passed  under  the  tui- 
tion of  Dr.  Fisk.  Of  this  large  number  of  worthy 
persons,  we  are  able  to  make  note  of  only  a  few. 
Others  may  have  been  equally  noteworthy,  but  want 
of  information  must  be  our  excuse  for  passing  them 
over. 

Among  the  eleven  hundred  were  some  thirty  minis- 
ters, many  of  whose  names  are  now  household  words 
through  the  land. 

The  most  striking  figure  was  that  of  Osmon  C. 
Baker.  Tall,  strongly  built,  with  expressive  features, 
especially  in  his  brilliant  and  restless  eye,  he  could 
never  be  forgotten  by  one  who  had  seen  him.  His 
countenance  was  expressive  of  extreme  sensitiveness 
and  modesty.  In  conversation  he  was  grave  and 
reserved,  as  though  careful  to  measure  and  weigh  his 
words ;  and  in  dress  he  was  always  exceptionally  neat 
and  proper.  In  his  associations  he  was  select,  moving 


Bishop  O.   C.    BAKER. 


Bishop   THOMAS    BOWMAN. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  171 

in  a  narrow  circle.  As  a  student,  he  was  not  brilliant, 
but  careful,  constant,  accurate,  doing  everything  with 
the  utmost  order  and  system.  This  was  the  man  ever 
after,  as  principal  at  Newbur}r  and  as  professor  in  the 
theological  school.  Though  not  exceptionally  great, 
he  came  to  great  influence  in  the  church,  and  was  hon- 
ored by  election  to  the  board  of  bishops  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church. 

Among  the  students  from  the  South  was  John  C. 
Keener,  of  Baltimore — young,  active,  studious  and 
religious,  but  at  the  same  time  mischievous,  in  an  inno- 
cent and  delightful  way.  His  associates  never  forgot 
how  he,  one  day,  ascended  the  lightning  rod  and 
affixed  to  its  serpentine  points  a  specimen  biscuit,  even 
then  celebrated  as  the  "  dingbat."  Old  students,  too, 
recall  his  projecting  lower  jaw,  then  held  in  reserve  by 
a  strap,  and  his  animated  manner.  In  the  Church 
South,  he  has  long  held  an  honored  place  as  preacher, 
presiding  elder,  editor,  and  in  1870  he  was  elected  a 
bishop.  Though  he  belongs  to  the  old  guard,  he  is 
still'active  and  energetic  —  a  typical  Southerner  and  a 
pronounced  Methodist  of  the  older  school.  It  is  a  curi- 
ous circumstance  that  John  C.  Keener,  the  senior 
bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and 
Thomas  Bowman,  the  senior  bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  prepared  for  college,  in  these  early 
days,  at  Wilbraham. 

Charles  K.  True,  a  favorite  at  the  Academy,  a  good 
scholar,  and  a  gentleman  with  easy  manners,  he 
excelled  in  declamation  and  oratory.  He  delighted  in 
the  exercise  of  horse-back  riding.  In  his  modes  of 
thinking  he  was  entirely  independent.  Untouched  by 


172  HISTORY  OF 

the  religious  influences  in  the  great  revival  at  Wilbra- 
ham,  he  became  religious  at  Harvard,  where  he  was  a 
classmate  with  Wendell  Phillips,  who  remembered 
him  as  the  orator  in  college  and  treasured  the  following 
anecdote  of  him.  In  a  mock  court,  a  culprit  student 
was  tried  and  condemned  to  lose  his  eye  tooth;  objec- 
tions to  the  sentence  were  admissible,  and  the  one 
offered  by  True  was  that  this  would  destroy  his  iden- 
tity. True  became  a  famous  teacher  and  preacher.  He 
was  principal  at  Amenia  and  professor  at  Middletown. 
A  clear  and  sharp  thinker,  he  delighted  in  abstruse 
studies  and  would  lose  himself  in  the  mazes  of  meta- 
physics. At  the  same  time,  he  was  capable  of  using  the 
most  transparent  English  and  of  making  any  subject  he 
treated  clear  to  the  simplest  mind.  His  style  was 
always  elegant.  His  little  treatise  on  Logic  has  had  a 
wide  circulation. 

Isaac  Jennison,  Jr.,  was  a  young  minister  of  much 
promise,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  died  too  early.  He  was 
loved  by  all  who  knew  him  and  was  apparently  heir  to 
a  great  future.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Isaac  Jennison, 
Sr.,  who  superintended  the  erection  of  the  Academy 
and  the  enlargement  of  the  boarding  house  and  was 
long  a  member  of  the  New  England  Conference. 

Horace  Moulton,  the  broad  axe  of  the  Conference,  a 
rough  man  with  a  warm  heart,  who  was  warmly 
cherished  by  his  brethren  as  a  revivalist  and  faithful 
worker,  was  a  student  under  Fisk.  Stephen  Gushing, 
who  survives,  was  one  of  the  younger  students  and 
among  the  most  proper.  He  has  long  been  a  trustee  of 
the  Conference.  Charles  Noble,  a  man  of  large  native 
ability,  was  one  of  the  most  promising  of  the  company 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMT.  173 

then  at  the  Academy.  He  was  one  of  the  men  in  whom 
were  possibilities  never  actualized.  For  several  years 
he  was  in  business,  and  accumulated  considerable  prop- 
erty, five  thousand  dollars  of  which  he  entrusted  to  the 
Conference  for  missionary  purposes.  Edward  Otheman 
was  student,  teacher  and  trustee  at  different  periods  of 
his  life.  Ephraim  Scott,  a  brother  of  Orange,  the  great 
anti-slavery  leader,  was  a  modest  and  worthy  member 
of  the  Conference. 

Jefferson  Hamilton  came  from  the  old  Brookfield 
circuit,  and  was  an  active  worker  at  the  Academy,  in  the 
social  meetings.  At  the  same  time  he  did  much  preach- 
ing in  the  vicinity,  exhibiting  many  of  the  elements  of 
the  orator.  He  was  the  pride  of  his  friends,  who  antici- 
pated for  him  the  largest  things.  In  the  South,  where 
he  went  in  early  life,  he  became  a  popular  preacher, 
filling  many  of  their  more  considerable  pulpits. 
Though  prominent  in  the  section  where  he  resided,  he 
never  rose  to  the  eminence  anticipated  by  his  friends. 
David  Patten,  in  the  Academy,  as  everywhere  else,  was 
a  favorite  with  both  teachers  and  students,  especially 
with  Dr.  Fisk.  John  W.  Merrill,  who  began  at  New- 
market, completed  his  preparation  for  college  at  Wil- 
braham.  He  was  always  the  man  of  books,  the  typical 
scholar,  loving  to  plod  and  master  the  niceties  of 
learning.  In  careful  research  he  was  never  weary ;  and 
as  a  teacher  he  was  a  drill  master  to  whom  many  a 
scholar  was  under  obligation.  He  was  president  of  the 
McKendree  College,  and  for  many  years  professor  in 
the  Biblical  Institute  in  Concord,  N.H. 

His  brother,  Nathaniel  J.  Merrill,  a  member  of  the 
New  England.  Conference,  made  an  indelible  record  in 


174  HISTORY  OF 

the  whipping  incident.  Two  of  the  Stockings  studied 
under  Dr.  Fisk.  Sabura  S.  was  afterwards  a  teacher  at 
the  Academy,  and  later  became  an  Episcopal  clergy- 
man. Though  easy  to  learn,  he  was  not  a  diligent  stu- 
dent, nor  a  great  drill  master  in  teaching.  In  manner 
he  was  dignified  and  courtly,  and  in  the  gown  made 
an  imposing  appearance. 

Selah  Stocking  was  an  elder  brother,  who  remained 
at  Wilbraham  but  a  short  time.  He  was  even  then  a 
full-fledged  preacher,  and  was  better  known  by  his 
preaching  in  the  vicinity  than  by  any  feats  of  study. 
Among  his  preaching  places  was  Ware,  where  the  Rev. 
Parsons  Cooke  presided  over  the  Congregational 
Church  and  lorded  it  somewhat  in  town.  His  was  the 
only  church  in  the  village.  The  handful  of  Metho- 
dists there  held  meetings  in  private  houses,  and  now 
and  then  invited  a  student  to  speak  in  the  school 
house.  On  one  or  two  occasions,  Parsons  had  entered 
early,  and  taking  charge  of  the  meeting,  closed  without 
allowing  the  stripling  to  say  a  word.  He  found  a 
match  in  Stocking,  who  had  no  lack  of  cheek,  and  who, 
on  rinding  Cooke  in  the  desk  as  he  entered,  gave  out  a 
hymn,  sang,  prayed  and  preached,  while  the  old  pastor 
remained  in  his  dignity  in  the  pulpit.  Stocking 
became,  at  a  later  date,  a  member  of  one  of  the  Central 
New  York  Conferences. 

Joel  Knight,  warm  and  earnest,  a  ready  and  efficient 
worker  in  evangelistic  services,  was  long  known  as  an 
honored  member  of  the  Providence  Conference.  He  was 
ready  and  available.  Morris  Hill  was  a  fair  scholar, 
unselfish,  circumspect  at  school,  and  obtained  honorable 
Standing  among  his  brethren  in  the  New  York  East. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  175 

John  B.  and  Andrew  Merwin  were  the  sous  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Merwiii  of  New  York.  John  was  "fair  as  a 
woman,"  with  ruddy  cheek  and  the  glow  of  health  in 
all  his  features.  With  a  soft,  smooth  voice,  and 
impressive  manner,  he  excelled  in  oratory.  Charles  S. 
Macreading,  brought  up  in  the  house  of  one  of  the 
Bonapartes,  was  earnest  and  true.  George  F.  Pool 
was  a  youth  of  some  promise  at  school,  and  remained 
for  many  years  an  inconspicuous  member  of  the  New 
England  Conference.  Gad  S.  Gilbert  overflowed  with 
fun.  Sunlight  filled  his  soul.  He  made  all  about  him 
glad.  He  was  afterward  a  joyous  and  successful 
preacher. 

Rufus  P.  Stebbins,  a  native  of  Wilbraham,  an 
admirer  of  Dr.  Fisk,  possessed  superior  abilities  and 
took  first  rank  as  a  student.  An  open  countenance, 
light  eye  and  good  head,  gave  him  a  fine  personal 
appearance.  He  graduated  at  Amherst,  and  became  a 
leading  Unitarian  clergyman  and  theological  profes- 
sor at  Meadville,  Pa. 

Sanford  Benton  made  a  good  record  at  the  Academy 
and  was  long  known  as  a  faithful  preacher  in  the  Prov- 
idence Conference.  O.  R.  Howard  was  a  fine  student 
and  became  an  educator  in  Ohio.  Moseley  Dwight 
was  the  saint  —  always  solemn,  earnest,  true  —  never 
known  to  smile  in  his  whole  course ;  and  yet  he  was  a 
joyous  man  inside.  He  found  the  essence  of  the  gos- 
pel to  be  sanctification,  which  he  made  a  stock  and  con- 
tinuous theme.  The  Lees  were  there — Jason  and 
Daniel — and  they  were  famous  just  then  on  account  of 
their  mission  to  Oregon,  then  farther  away  than  Van 
Dieman's  Laud  to-day.  The  famous  laud-journey  and 


176  HlSTOttT  OF 

the  Flatheads  then  gave  inspiration  to  the  missionary 
meeting.  Asa  C.  Hand,  from  the  great  Hand  family 
in  New  Lebanon,  N.Y.,  a  slow  scholar  but  a  voluble 
talker,  became  a  member  of  the  Troy  Conference.  And 
there  was  Daniel  Ernett,  the  good  ;  and  Harvey  B.  Lane, 
later  a  teacher  and  professor ;  and  Humphrey  Pickard, 
an  earnest  student  and  later  the  educational  leader  in 
the  Provinces;  and  Bradford  K.  Pierce,  the  favorite 
boy,  the  ready  student,  the  facile  speaker  and  writer  — 
the  man  for  the  children  and  also  the  mature  people  — 
he  was  preacher,  chaplain,  editor  —  what  not;  trying 
all  the  trades  and  good  at  most,  especially  ready  on 
occasions  with  neat  little  speeches. 

John  W.  Foster  came  from  Brimfield,  was  a  hard 
student,  loved  science ;  went  to  Ohio  to  practice  law, 
but  was  soon  drawn  back  to  science,  being  often  em- 
ployed by  mining  companies  and  on  surveys.  In 
1858  he  went  to  Chicago  to  study  the  antiquities  of 
the  Mississippi  valley,  on  which  he  published  a  valu- 
able work.  Of  the  students  residing  in  Wilbraham  we 
have  Brewers — Daniel  L.,  Lycortus,  Sophia,  Lydia, 
Catherine,  Elizabeth,  Charles  and  Mary  ;  Merricks  — 
John  M.,  Roderick  S.,  William  W.;  Bliss  —  Nancy  and 
Martha;  Stebbins  —  Rufus  P.,  Roderick  and  Randolph; 
Moody  — Lucinda  D.,  Catherine  B.,  and  Emeline  R.,  and 
others.  Oscar  L.  Shaf  ter,  a  son  of  Judge  Shaffer,  of  Ver- 
mont. No  old  student  could  forget  Hale,  genial  and 
magnetic ;  he  was  the  good  fellow  of  the  school,  as  well 
as  the  earnest  student  and  orator.  He  devoted  much 
time  to  literature  and  elocution.  With  Henry  Moore, 
the  wit  in  the  next  room,  he  often  crossed  swords,  each 
being  able  to  receive  as  well  as  to  perpetrate  a  joke. 


THE   WESLETAN  ACADMY.  177 

In  those  early  days,  Dalton  furnished  an  interesting 
group  of  students.  Among  them  we  find  the  late 
Zenas  M.  Crane,  the  great  paper  manufacturer,  and  his 
brother  James  B.  Crane,  a  member  of  the  firm;  the 
two  carrying  on  successfully  a  business  inherited  from 
their  father,  Hon.  Zenas  Crane.  They  were  both 
remarkably  successful  business  men,  and  succeeded  by 
the  most  honorable  methods  in  accumulating  large 
properties.  In  them  were  inseparably  united  capacity 
and  integrity.  Of  Wilbraham,  from  which  their  mother 
came,  they  cherished  the  pleasantest  recollections. 
Zenas  M.  Crane,  in  his  late  years,  remembered  the 
Academy  by  a  generous  contribution  of  $1,000.  With 
them  came  also  their  sister  Lucinda  (Mrs.  Dr.  Weston), 
and  several  of  the  Chamberlains,  also  paper  manu- 
facturers,—  William  C.,  Milo,  Burt,  Maria  and  Jane 
—  a  worthy  and  conspicuous  family  of  the  town. 
From  Ellington,  Ct.,  came  Maria  and  Eliza  Steele, 
daughters  of  Dr.  Steele,  an  eminent  physician.  Provi- 
dence furnished  a  couple  of  young  ladies  who  made  a 
sensation  in  the  school  and  acted  well  their  part  in  the 
drama  of  life.  To  the  early  students,  the  names  of 
Sarah  Ann  and  Jane  Anthony  will  be  familiar.  Sarah 
Ann  became,  by  marriage,  Mrs.  Cooke,  and  visitors  to 
Cottage  City  will  remember  hers  as  one  of  the  most 
elegant  cottages  in  the  circle.  In  her  last  years,  she 
remembered  Wilbraham  with  a  thousand  dollars.  Jane 
Anthony  became  Mrs.  Eames.  At  school,  they  were 
among  the  most  elegant  and  showy ;  wealth  glittered 
on  the  surface,  while  their  free-and-easy  movements 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  little  academic  public. 

Edward  F.  Merrick,  who  received  his  early  training 


178  HISTORY  OF 

here,  removed  to  Louisiana,  where  he  became  eminent 
in  the  legal  profession,  and  served  for  many  years  as 
the  Chief  Justice  of  the  State.  William  R.  Barnum, 
associated  with  the  great  whipping  case,  in  the  school, 
entered  the  political  arena  in  his  native  State,  and  was 
afterwards  elected  United  States  Senator  from  Con- 
necticut. Thomas  and  Ichabod  Marcy  came  down  from 
Leyden.  They  both  became  honored  members  of  the  New 
England  Conference,  performing  much  valuable  service. 
Perhaps  no  students  of  the  period  created  a  deeper 
interest  than  Jason  and  Daniel  Lee,  who  came  from 
Canada,  and  afterwards  opened  the  Oregon  Mission 
among  the  Flathead  Indians.  Oregon  was  then 
remote,  the  attempt  to  reach  it  over  land  was  heroic. 
The  missionary  spirit,  which  burned  in  the  souls  of 
those  two  young  men,  kindled  a  Christian  enthusiasm 
through  the  whole  school.  Allen  Steele,  a  quiet  and 
honored  student,  became  distinguished  as  a  member  of 
the  Black  River  Conference.  Thomas  Sewall,  from 
Baltimore,  was  also  at  the  Academy.  He  became  one 
of  the  most  attractive  pulpit  orators  in  the  Methodist 
Church.  Austin  G.  Phelps  was  also  here  during  the 
last  year  of  Dr.  Fisk.  It  has  been  noticed  that  Han- 
nah and  Emerancy  Thompson  were  at  the  Academy  ; 
the  former  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Humphrey  Pickard, 
D.D.,  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  latter  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Edward  Otheman,  and  the  mother  of  the  Rev.  Edward 
B.  Otheman,  at  one  time  a  teacher  in  the  Institution. 
Dr.  Pickard  was  born  at  Frederickton,  N.B.,  June  10, 
1813,  and  died  July  28,  1890.  In  1842  he  was  chosen 
principal  of  the  Mount  Allison  Academy  in  Sackville, 
and  in  1869  he  was  appointed  editor  of  the  Provincial 


Hon.    CHESTER    C.    CORBIN. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  179 

Wesleyan.  He  was  a  good  scholar  and  a  highly  influ- 
ential man  in  his  denomination.  William  A.  Slater 
and  his  brother,  John  F.  Slater,  who  gave  the  million- 
dollar  fund  for  Southern  education,  the  sons  of  Samuel 
Slater,  who  introduced  cotton  spinning  into  New  Eng- 
land, were  students  |n  the  Academy  in,  1828, 


180  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  CLOSE   OF   DR.   FISK's  TERM   OF   SERVICE  AT  THE 
WESLEYAN   ACADEMY. 

THE  very  success  of  Dr.  Fisk  in  the  experiment  at 
Wilbraham,  so  far  from  insuring  his  services  per- 
manently, hastened  his  removal  from  the  institution. 
The  favorable  outcome  there  had  helped  to  intensify 
the  enthusiasm  for  higher  education  throughout  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  to  raise  the  question  of  an 
advance  from  the  academy  to  the  college  and  the  uni- 
versity, as  parts  of  a  broad  educational  system.  The 
new  impulse  was  being  felt  in  every  part  of  the  land, 
and  at  Middletown,  Ct.,  a  higher  institution  had  been 
founded,  and  the  trustees  were  in  search  for  a  person 
suitable  for  the  presidency.  In  such  a  search,  the  man 
who  had  been  so  successful  in  an  inferior  position,  and 
had  done  so  much  to  awaken  an  interest  in  the  cause 
of  education,  could  not  be  passed  unnoticed.  Indeed, 
he  was  the  one  man  in  the  church  to  whom  all  e}res 
were  turned  as  the  ordained  leader  in  this  educational 
advance. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Middletown  board,  August  24, 
1830,  Dr.  Fisk  was  elected  President  of  the  Wesleyan 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  181 

University.  Though  the  position  was  honorable  and 
opened  the  way  to  great  usefulness,  he  hesitated  to 
accept.  He  had  devoted  himself  to  the  work  at  Wil- 
braham,  and,  in  order  to  carry  this  on  to  completion, 
had  declined  the  episcopal  honors  tendered  him  by  the 
General  Conference.  How  could  he,  then,  accept  this 
new  position?  The  one  work  was  pressed  upon  his 
heart  and  conscience.  * 

But,  on  reconsidering  the  matter,  he  concluded  to 
accept,  as  the  university  was  only  an  extension  of  the 
one  grand  scheme  of  education  in  the  mind  of  the 
leaders.  In  going  to  the  university  his  influence  would 
not  be  entirely  withdrawn  from  Wilbraham  ;  and  in 
some  respects  the  higher  institution  would  exert  a  salu- 
tary influence  on  the  lower.  Meantime,  he  was  to 
remain  nominally  at  the  head  until  a  new  principal 
could  be  found.  At  the  close  of  the  academic  year 
(July,  1831,)  even  his  slight  connection  ceased.  To 
both  students  and  citizens  the  separation  was  painful. 
As  no  other  man,  at  the  time,  he  held  a  place  in  the 
affections  of  the  people  of  Wilbraham  and  the  friends 
of  the  institution,  who  had  seen  a  great  school,  under 
the  touch  of  his  magic  wand,  spring  into  existence  and 
take  form  under  his  moulding  genius.  To  the  trustees, 
who  had  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day,  the 
hour  was  one  of  extreme  anxiety.  The  care  and  labor 
which  had  been  so  generally  assumed  by  Dr.  Fisk, 
must  now,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  devolve  on  them. 
The  new  principal  would  not  know  the  field  as  they 
knew  it ;  he  could  not  be  the  man  of  all-service  as  the 
first  principal  had  been.  They  certainly  could  not  lean 
upon  him  with  the  assurance  of  support  which  had 


182  HISTORY  OF 

been  felt  under  Dr.  Fisk.  Though  he  retained  a  place 
in  the  board  of  trustees  to  the  end,  they  knew  well  his 
cunning  hand,  masterful  eye  and  magnetic  presence 
would  be  wanting;  and,  whether,  in  the  absence  of 
these,  the  machinery  could  continue  to  run  smoothly 
and  the  past  measure  of  prosperity  be  enjoyed,  was 
altogether  problematical.  So  intimately  had  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Academy  been  associated  with  Dr.  Fisk, 
that  it  was  difficult  to  conceive  of  its  continuance  after 
his  removal. 

To  Dr.  Fisk  himself,  also,  the  occasion  was  one  of 
deep  solicitude.  The  charge  committed  to  him  by  the 
church  lay  upon  his  heart ;  and,  in  turning  it  over  to 
another,  he  was  anxious  lest  the  cause,  so  well  started 
under  his  hand,  should  suffer  a  check.  As  expressive 
of  his  feelings  on  the  occasion,  a  few  paragraphs  may 
be  quoted  from  his  valedictory  address  to  the  school. 
As  was  natural,  the  address  was  largely  retrospective, 
tracing  the  history  of  the  five  years  he  had  been  with 
them,  indicating  the  difficulties  and  struggles,  and 
emphasizing  the  triumphs  vouchsafed  to  them.  Of 
his  attachment  to  the  school  and  his  regard  for  the 
noble  men  and  women  who  had  been  associated  with 
him  in  the  work,  he  spoke  in  terms  of  warm  commen- 
dation. 

"  Five  years  of  labor  and  anxiety,"  are  his  words, 
"  have  deeply  enlisted  and  closely  connected  every  feel- 
ing of  my  heart  in  its  (the  institution's)  behalf.  Such 
have  been  the  variety  and  extent  of  my  labors  that, 
contrary  to  general  experience  and  respect  to  past 
time,  the  period  seems,  upon  the  review,  like  half  an 
age  instead  of  five  years.  But  in  this  retrospect,  I 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  183 

have  nothing  to  regret,  with  respect  to  my  connection 
with  the  school,  but  my  own  imperfections  and  mis- 
takes ;  of  these  I  have  had  an  abundant  share,  and 
have  needed  the  forbearance  of  the  trustees  and  the 
charity  of  the  public  ;  aside  from  these  the  review  is,  on 
the  whole,  pleasant." 

"I  had  rather,"  he  continued,  "have  my  name 
embalmed  in  the  memory  and  affection  of  the  rising 
generation  than  to  gather  military  honors  on  the  field 
of  battle,  or  civic  wreaths  in  the  Senate  House,  or  to 
have  it  emblazoned  on  the  proudest  escutcheons  of  the 
world's  glory.  The  triumphs  of  this  day,  however 
subordinate  —  and  subordinate  the  field  operations  may 
have  been,  —  surrounded  as  I  am  by  one  hundred  and 
fifty  youths,  who  have  gathered  around  our  literary 
standard,  and  with  whom  we  associate  on  terms  of 
reciprocal  affection,  are  an  ample  compensation  for  all 
past  labors  and  solicitudes. 

"  I  stand  here  this  day,  also,  with  the  consciousness 
of  having  aimed  to  do  my  duty,  both  to  the  people  of 
the  place  and  to  the  school.  I  have  coveted  no  man's 
gold  or  silver:  I  brought  none  here  —  I  shall  carry  none 
away.  Nay,  but  ye  bear  me  witness  that  I  have  been 
willing  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  you.  If  I  can  carry 
away  a  clear  conscience  towards  men,  it  is  all  I  ask." 

Of  the  general  results  of  his  labor  in  the  school,  he 
spoke  with  great  satisfaction  :  "  At  the  opening  of  the 
school  we  had  but  seven  scholars  ;  since  which  time  we 
have  entered  upon  our  books  1,150  different  students. 
Of  these  about  thirty  have  entered  the  sacred  ministry, 
a  number  are  pursuing  the  study  of  law  and  medicine, 
from  twenty  to  thirty  are  pursuing  a  college  course, 


184  HISTORY  OF 

and  from  a  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  have 
gone  out  of  our  seminary,  at  different  times,  as 
teachers." 

The  interest  of  the  audience  in  the  address  was  evi- 
denced by  profound  attention  and  many  tears.  The 
hour  formed  a  turning  point  in  many  a  young  life,  as 
well  as  in  the  history  of  the  institution.  Besides  this 
formal  parting,  he  uttered  many  other  admonitory  and 
closing  words  to  youth  of  his  charge.  Among  them 
was  his  last  sermon  in  the  old  dining  hall,  which  is 
vividly  remembered  by  a  few  who  heard  it.  "  Let 
your  conversation  be  as  become th  the  gospel,"  was  the 
text,  suggestive  of  admonitory  counsels,  duties  and 
responsibilities.  The  soul  of  the  preacher  was  full  of 
the  subject;  and  out  of  his  ample  treasury  he  brought 
things  new  and  old  pertinent  to  the  occasion. 

The  fragment  of  life  which  remained  to  him  was 
devoted  to  the  work  of  education  at  the  Wesleyan 
University,  In  1832  he  was  a  visitor  at  West  Point, 
and  in  1835  a  delegate  to  the  Wesleyan  Conference, 
extending  his  travels  071  the  Continent.  Of  the  four 
General  Conferences,  1824,  1828,  1832  and  1836,  he 
was  a  member,  and,  by  the  last,  was  elected  bishop, 
an  honor  he  felt  obliged  to  decline.  On  the  22d  of 
February,  1839,  he  passed,  in  great  peace  and  holy 
triumph,  to  the  glorious  realities  of  the  other  life. 
" '  Glorious  life  ! '  was  the  last  whispered  expression  of 
his  religious  feelings." 

Possibly  not  the  greatest,  Dr.  Fisk  was  the  best 
beloved  and  most  widel}'  influential  man  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Unlike  some  leaders  of 
the  people,  who  join  with  their  large  wisdom,  sound 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  185 

judgment  and  executive  force,  a  severe  temper,  a  rude- 
ness of  manner,  or  repulsive  demeanor,  his  qualities 
were  all  attractive,  his  temper  was  genial,  his  sympa- 
thies were  generous.  Men  were  drawn  to  him,  and 
delighted  in  the  sunshine  of  his  presence.  As  a  friend, 
teacher,  counselor  and  guide,  he  was  cherished  with 
rational  yet  tender  affection;  as  a  Christian  and  a 
minister,  he  was  held  in  high  esteem  for  incorruptible 
integrity,  devout  and  earnest  piety  arid  rare  gifts  of 
speech,  so  often  employed  for  the  edification  and  sanc- 
tification  of  believers ;  and  as  an  educator,  he  was 
accorded  by  all  a  foremost  place.  If  he  possessed  no 
single  power  in  superlative  excellence,  he  exhibited  a 
rare  combination  of  noble  qualities,  giving  the  impres- 
sion of  completeness,  symmetry  and  neatness  of  finish. 
In  the  best  sense,  he  was  a  whole,  perfect  man,  in 
whom  no  part  was  wanting,  and  nothing  was  in  excess. 
As  in  few  other  instances,  his  faculties  hung  in  balance 
and  harmony  —  a  fine  intellect,  elegant  taste,  a  health- 
ful and  fertile  imagination,  generous  sensibilities, 
sound  judgment,  a  rare  sense  of  propriety,  reminding 
one  of  the  Grecian  temple,  whose  exact  proportions, 
exquisite  finish  and  exalted  purpose  challenge  the 
admiration  of  ages. 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Fisk  was  a  favorite  with  all 
classes.  Untrammeled  by  the  art  of  the  schools,  he 
spoke,  in  simple  language,  to  the  common  sense  of  the 
people.  His  style  was  conversational ;  he  talked  to  the 
people.  Without  airs  or  pretensions  ;  without  passion 
or  strains  of  thrilling  eloquence ;  without  eliciting 
thunders  of  applause,  the  stream  of  thought  flowed, 
gentle,  pellucid,  bearing  on  its  current  the  richest 


186  HISTORY  OF 

imagery  and  overcoming  all  opposition.  It  was  not  the 
thunder-storm  raised  by  Whitefield ;  it  was  the  descent 
of  the  copious  and  refreshing  dews,  or  the  summer 
rain.  Some  of  his  best  sermons  were  delivered  in 
school  houses  and  small  chapels,  in  the  out-districts  of 
Wilbraham  and  the  adjoining  towns.  Adapted  to  less 
conspicuous  audiences,  he  rose  easily  to  great  occasions. 
He  preached  election  sermons  in  both  Massachusetts 
and  Vermont,  and  served  on  innumerable  dedicatory 
and  missionary  occasions.  In  controversy,  so  common 
in  his  day,  he  excelled,  especially  in  handling  the  errors 
of  Calvinism  and  Universalism.  The  "  Calvinistic  Con- 
troversy "  remains  a  classic  ;  and  his  occasional  sermons, 
though  inferior  to  those  of  Watson,  Robert  Hall  and 
Olin,  display  much  more  than  average  ability,  indicat- 
ing larger  possibilities  than  any  actual  performance 
realized. 

Above  all,  Dr.  Fisk  was  a  model  educator.  In  his 
own  church  he  led  the  column.  Though  some  of  his 
students  have  surpassed  him  in  natural  and  acquired 
ability,  they  can  never  share  with  him  the  honor  of 
giving  form  and  consistency  as  well  as  practical  effec- 
tiveness to  our  educational  system.  Born  in  New 
England,  and  sharing,  from  a  child,  in  the  privileges  of 
her  primary  and  advanced  schools,  he  became  imbued 
with  the  spirit  and  comprehended  the  methods  of  edu- 
cation in  the  East,  the  best  features  of  which  he 
incorporated  in  the  schools  of  Methodism.  Though  an 
expert  in  no  one  department,  he  compared  favorably 
with  the  graduates  of  the  time  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  usual  studies. 

With   the   young,   he   was   a   favorite.     They   were 


HISTORY  OF  187 

attracted  to  him.  One  of  Plutarch's  born  captains,  he 
knew  how  "to  create  the  obedience  of  his  own  fol- 
lowers." To  students  he  was  ever  accessible,  in  fact, 
waiting  to  catch  their  story  of  difficulty  or  trial,  and 
to  reveal  the  true  remedy.  His  advice  was  sound  and, 
usually,  it  proved  helpful.  In  teaching,  his  aim  was 
te  develop  manliness  and  strength  in  the  best  lines. 
Education  was  a  means  to  a  higher  end.  With  the 
best  educators,  he  made  virtue  and  religion  the  ulti- 
mate end.  "  What  is  man,"  he  asks,  "  without  reli- 
gion ?  If  destitute  of  charity,  or  true  religion,  the  most 
learned  are  nothing.  What  are  they  when  destitute  of 
moral  principles  and  moral  habits?  They  are  worse 
than  nothing."  The  school  as  well  as  the  church 
should  be  a  redemptive  agency.  "  The  end  of  learning 
is,"  to  quote  from  Milton,  "  to  repair  the  ruins  of  our 
first  parents  by  regaining  to  know  God  aright,  and  out 
of  that  knowledge  to  love  Him,  to  imitate  Him,  to  be 
like  Him,  as  we  may  nearest  by  possessing  our  souls  of 
true  virtue,  which  being  united  to  the  heavenly  grace 
of  faith,  makes  up  the  highest  perfection." 

The  adaptation  of  Dr.  Fisk  to  the  hour  and  work 
was  an  important  element  of  his  success.  Whatever 
he  might  have  been  in  other  situations,  he  was  exactly 
the  man  to  lead  the  educational  advance  in  the  Method- 
ist Church.  At  once  devout  and  scholarly,  the  people 
recognized  his  leadership,  and  followed  him  011  to  suc- 
cess. Marvelous  man !  His  like  we  may  not  soon  see 
again. 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  189 


period  11. 


of  tf)e  Het).  tDiiliam 

Songs, 
Qlngtist,  1831  —  March,  1832. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  191 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  SERVICES  AND  ASSOCIATES   OF  MR.  BANGS  AT  THE 
WESLEYAN   ACADEMY. 

TO  fill  the  place  made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Dr. 
Fisk  was  no  easy  matter.  The  number  of  liberally 
educated  men  in  the  Methodist  Church,  at  the  time,  was 
small ;  and,  of  those  with  the  requisite  mental  training, 
few  would  compare  favorably,  in  general  accomplish- 
ments and  adaptations,  with  the  retiring  principal.  In 
the  estimation  of  the  Methodist  public,  he  was  the  ideal 
educator.  The  glory  of  great  success  crowned  his 
efforts.  Under  his  guiding  hand,  a  flourishing  literary 
institution  had  arisen  from  a  ruin :  the  seven  students 
of  the  first  day  had  grown  to  a  great  multitude. 

The  embarrassing  situation  was  felt  by  the  trustees. 
They  looked  in  all  directions  for  the  suitable  man,  with- 
out finding  him.  Meantime,  Dr.  Fisk  drew  attention 
to  William  McKendree  Bangs,  son  of  his  old  and  hon- 
ored friend,  Dr.  Nathan  Bangs,  at  the  time  one  of  the 
foremost  men  in  the  Methodist  Church.  Following  the 
suggestion,  the  trustees,  on  August  17,1831,  elected  Mr. 
Bangs  principal  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy.  The  selec- 
tion of  a,n.  unknown  and  untried  man  was  not  entirely 


192  HISTORY  OF 

satisfactory  to  any  member  of  the  board.  For  the  mo- 
ment they  could  see  nothing  better,  and  so  ventured  in 
reality  to  select  a  man  on  the  reputation  of  his  father. 

William  McKendree  Bangs  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  in  1810,  and  died  there  in  1852.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Ohio  University  in  1829,  and  at  once  became 
professor  of  ancient  languages  in  Augusta  College,  in 
Kentucky,  passing  thence  to  the  headship  at  Wilbraham. 
At  the  close  of  his  term  at  the  Academy,  he  joined  the 
New  York  Conference,  of  which,  and  of  the  New  York 
East,  taken  from  it,  he  remained  a  modest  and  worthy 
member  to  the  close  of  life. 

Though  a  fine  scholar,  and  a  man  of  many  virtues 
and  excellencies,  he  was  disqualified  for  the  position  he 
occupied  by  the  want  of  physical  stamina  and  experi- 
ence. The  duties  of  the  place  required  robust  health 
and  elasticity  of  spirits,  while  he  was  oppressed  and 
saddened  by  physical  debility.  As  a  result,  he  mingled 
little  with  the  students,  either  in  the  classes  or  at  social 
and  religious  gatherings.  He  was  the  man  behind  the 
screen,  as  his  physical  condition  required  close  confine- 
ment to  his  room. 

The  protracted  absence  of  the  principal  from  the  rou- 
tine duties  of  the  school  caused  the  trustees  not  a  little 
misgiving.  They  felt  that  something  must  be  done,  as 
the  school  was  not  in  a  condition  to  run  itself.  At  a 
special  meeting,  February  29,  1832,  "a  committee  was 
appointed  to  converse  with  Mr.  Bangs,  the  principal  of  the 
Wesleyan  Academy,  and  ascertain  his  views,  growing 
out  of  his  health,  and  other  circumstances  in  relation  to 
the  extent  of  service  he  has  rendered,  and  will  be  able 
to  render  in  the  department  of  instruction.  And,  if  the 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  193 

principal  cannot  give  satisfactory  encouragement  that 
he  will  be  able  to  render  efficient  instruction  daily  in 
the  Academy,  then  and  in  that  case,  said  committee 
shall  be  authorized  to  make  a  settlement  with  him,  and 
to  hire  another  principal,  and  that  said  committee  be 
authorized  to  employ  all  necessary  teachers." 

Of  course,  with  the  existing  condition  of  his  health, 
the  principal  could  not  give  the  required  pledges,  and 
so  the  committee  were  driven  to  dispense  with  his  ser- 
vices after  the  close  of  the  term.  That  they  were 
obliged  to  make  a  change  is  not  surprising;  the  surpris- 
ing matter  is  that  they  ever  engaged  a  man  so  physically 
disqualified  for  the  services  required  in  the  position.  It 
is  almost  equally  remarkable  that  Mr.  Bangs  ever  con- 
sented to  accept  the  office  whose  duties  he  must  have 
known  he  was  so  little  able  to  perform.  Besides  his 
disabilities  growing  out  of  ill  health  and  inexperience, 
he  moved  in  the  shadow  of  Dr.  Fisk,  who,  as  man, 
teacher  and  citizen,  was  the  idol  of  all.  The  contrast 
was  unfavorable  to  the  new  man.  The  one  was 
thoughtful,  reserved,  inactive ;  the  other  familiar,  affa- 
ble, easy,  full  of  tact,  and  delighting  in  activity.  In 
spite  of  his  many  personal  excellencies,  the  new  princi- 
pal was  a  repellent  force,  removing  men  to  a  distance 
from  him ;  the  oljd  one  was  attractive,  genial,  magnetic, 
fastening  men  to  him  "as  with  hooks  of  steel."  With 
a  change  so  striking,  a  powerful  reaction  was  inevitable. 

The  change  is  indicated  in  the  attendance.  The 
aggregates  by  terms  had  gone  up  under  Fisk  to  602 ; 
they  sank  under  his  successor  to  560.  The  decline  may 
not  have  been  due  entirely  to  the  unfitness  of  the  prin- 
cipal ;  that  was  no  doubt  a  considerable  factor. 


194  HISTORY  OF 

Mr.  Bangs  had  associated  with  him  in  the  board  of 
instruction,  John  Foster,  William  G.  Mitchell,  William 
Magoun,  Edward  Otheman  and  Samuel  P.  Dole. 

Edward  Otheman  was  born  in  Boston,  July  31,  1808, 
and  died  in  Chelsea,  March  9,1886.  As  student,  teacher 
and  trustee  he  was  long  and  honorably  connected  with 
Wilbraham.  He  began  his  preparation  for  college  at 
the  Sandwich  Academy,  and  on  the  opening  of  the 
Wesleyan  Academy,  repaired  to  the  new  seat  of  learning 
by  stage,  having  for  fellow  passengers  the  Thompsons, 
whom  he  met  for  the  first  time  Everything  was  then 
primitive  at  the  school.  Boarding  the  first  term  with 
Abel  Bliss,  he  was  one  of  the  first  eight  to  enter  the 
new  boarding  house.  The  social  meetings  and  preach- 
ing services  he  attended  with  great  delight.  The 
preaching  by  Dr.  Fisk,  plain,  simple,  warm  and  rich  in 
Bible  truth  and  Christian  experience,  was  instructive 
and  helpful.  The  sermon  of  Bishop  George  before  the 
Conference,  held  in  the  grove  east  of  the  Academy, 
made  a  lasting  impression  upon  him.  He  entered 
Brown  in  1827,  and  graduated  in  1831,  with  good 
standing  in  his  class.  From  the  college  he  went  to  Wil- 
braham, where  he  remained  two  years,  boarding,  to- 
gether with  his  father  and  mother,  then  advanced  in 
years,  with  Dr.  Jesse  W.  Rice.  The  father  is  still  re- 
membered as  a  gentleman  of  the  old  style,  wearing  the 
cocked  hat  and  knee-buckles. 

In  person,  Mr.  Otheman  was  of  medium  size,  spare, 
with  ruddy  countenance  and  black  eyes,  an  elastic  step 
and  cheerful  temper.  As  a  teacher,  he  made  a  favorable 
impression.  Self-reliant  and  energetic,  he  was  yet  mod- 
est, gentlemanly  in  his  bearing  and  easy  in  social  inter- 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  195 

course.  In  the  class-room,  he  was  active,  alert,  ready  in 
the  use  of  his  stores  of  knowledge  and  unceasing  in  his 
endeavors  to  secure  accuracy  in  drill  as  well  as  to  en- 
kindle the  enthusiasm  of  his  pupils.  For  those  who 
came  under  his  instruction  he  cherished  a  deep  and 
abiding  interest,  and  was  never  weary  in  efforts  to  help 
them  to  rise  by  winning  the  prize  of  scholarship.  In 
return  he  found  favor  with  students  and  managers. 
The  trustees  vote,  in  favor  of  his  continuance  a  second 
year,  addition  to  his  salary. 

In  1832  Mr.  Otheman  was  married  to  Miss  Emarancy 
Thompson,  one  of  the  trio  with  whom  he  entered  Wil- 
braham  in  the  stage  coach.  At  the  close  of  his  second 
year,  Dr.  Fisk  offered  him  a  place  in  the  Wesleyan 
University,  but  the  business  interests  of  the  family  re- 
quired his  return  to  Boston,  where  most  of  his  later  life 
was  spent.  Though  he  joined  the  New  England  Con- 
ference in  1835,  he  soon  went  on  the  supernumerary 
list.  In  the  Walnut  Street  Church,  in  Chelsea,  he  was 
long  a  pillar,  and  served  for  many  years  as  a  trustee  at 
Wilbraham,  a  part  of  the  time  as  president  of  the  board. 

During  the  administration  of  W.  McK.  Bangs,  Miss 
Lucy  Windsor,  a  person  well  spoken  of  by  her  associ- 
ates, served  as  preceptress.  For  fuller  record  of  her 
services,  the  definite  data  are  wanting.  In  person,  she 
is  said  to  have  been  tall,  slender  and  erect,  with  precision 
of  manner  and  dignified  affability. 

Samuel  P.  Dole,  born  in  Saulsbury,  December  28, 1808, 
and  died  September  10, 1841,  presented  an  imposing  fig- 
ure. Though  he  remained  but  a  year,  he  made  a  deep  im- 
pression on  students  and  citizens.  He  was  an  enthusiast 
in  whatever  he  undertook.  He  delighted  in  outdoor  life, 


was  a  great  pedestrian,  and  drew  many  students  after 
him,  over  meadow  and  mountain,  scaling  fences  and 
tramping,  like  a  regiment  of  soldiers,  over  walls.  A  per- 
son of  magnetic  influence,  he  never  lacked  followers 
among  the  boys.  Dole  excelled  as  a  teacher.  With  a 
clear  and  strong  grasp  of  the  subject,  he  was  able  to 
present  it  intelligibly  to  the  mind  of  the  pupil.  He 
went  to  the  root  of  the  matter,  and  led  his  pupils  by 
drill  to  a  mastery  of  the  subject  in  hand.  No  one  could 
escape  him,  or  fail  to  catch  the  enthusiasm  which  flowed 
through  his  soul.  A  giant  in  form,  Mr.  Dole  was  a  pos- 
itive and  independent  thinker;  a  radical,  always  ten 
years  in  advance  of  public  sentiment.  The  anti-slavery 
debate,  destined  to  convulse  the  nation,  had  just  begun. 
A  few  fanatics  had  entered  the  arena,  Dole  among  them. 
The  subject  burned  within  him,  and  found  utterance  on 
every  proper  occasion.  A  student  who,  in  the  Club 
Debate,  spoke  favorably  of  colonization,  was  reasoned 
with  in  his  room,  and  convinced  of  the  untenableness  of 
the  position  he  had  taken.  On  the  student's  return  to 
Natick,  in  1836,  he  was  urged  to  debate  the  subject  with 
one  Henry  Wilson,  who  was  astounded  at  the  radical 
views  of  his  opponent.  The  members  of  the  Natick 
club  were  then  nearly  all  good  Whigs.  Wilson,  who 
came  rapidly  to  the  views  of  Dole,  rose  from  the  shoe- 
maker's bench  to  the  Vice- Presidency  of  the  United 
States.*  The  teachings  of  Dole,  which  had  thus  indi- 
rectly reached  the  future  Vice-President,  soon  spread 
through  the  Academy. 

The  course  of  this  young  man  was  brilliant  but  brief. 
The  cause  of  his  leaving  Wilbraham  was  his  sending  a 


*Eev.  Franklin  Fisk. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  197 

lad  to  the  dungeon  for  the  night.*  He  entered  the 
Wesleyan  University  in  1833,  and  later,  without  gradu- 
ating, spent  two  years  in  Switzerland.  After  his  return 
he  began  teaching  in  Providence,  and  was  obliged  to 
desist  from  failing  health,  resulting  in  his  early  death. 

Edward  Hyde,  who  succeeded  Solomon  Weeks  as 
steward,  was  born  in  Norwich,  Ct.,  March  31,  1786,  and 
died  in  Wilbraham,  March  16, 1832.  Converted  in  1803, 
he  entered  the  New  England  Conference  in  1809,  and 
traveled  in  succession  the  Poplin,  Readfield,  Scituate, 
Martha's  Vineyard,  Tolland,  Summerset,  Warwick, 
Ashburnham,  and  New  London  circuits.  He  was  also 
presiding  elder  on  the  Boston  and  New  London  Dis- 
tricts. In  1831  he  was  stationed  at  Wilbraham  with  the 
design  of  taking  charge  of  the  boarding  house. 

As  a  minister,  Edward  Hyde  was  good,  sensible  and 
useful,  rather  than  great.  He  was  a  revival  preacher, 
succeeding  not  by  any  patent  methods,  but  by  devotion, 
faithfulness  and  work.  He  touched  the  individual  even 
more  than  the  mass,  and  kept  close  to  his  one  work. 
The  zeal  of  the  Lord's  house  consumed  him.  He  dwelt 
much,  in  his  preaching,  on  the  high  privileges  of  believ- 
ers, and  rejoiced  in  a  rich  Christian  experience. 

Devoutly  pious  as  he  was,  Mr.  Hyde  was  also  a  care- 
ful and  judicious  business  man.  He  began  well  as  a 
steward.  The  trustees  believed  in  him,  and  the  stu- 
dents loved  him.  Cheapness  and  excellence  are  with 
difficulty  combined  in  a  boarding  house ;  but  Mr.  Hyde 
gave  excellent  satisfaction  to  all  parties,  and,  had  he 
lived,  might  have  rivalled  the  fame  of  Solomon  Weeks. 

But,  alas,  his  day  at  Wilbraham    was   short.      The 

*D.  K.  Merrill,  whose  father  was  a  trustee,  and  disapproved  the  act. 


198  HISTORY  0# 

triumph  of  his  death  was  the  marvel  of  the  hour.  The 
Shekinah  rested,  as  it  were,  in  his  chamber.  He  waited 
and  rejoiced  in  view  of  full  immortality  just  in  sight. 
"If  God  should  offer  me  a  world,"  he  said,  ^'and  add  to 
it  two  thousand  worlds,  I  would  not  choose  to  go  back 
to  life."  Living  with  a  consciousness  of  pardon,  with- 
out a  cloud,  and  with  a  full  flow  of  joy,  he  often  shouted 
aloud  the  praises  of  God.  "  The  chariot  is  come ! " 
"Don't  you  see  it?"  "Glory  to  God!"  were  among 
the  triumphant  utterances  of  this  ascending  saint.  The 
sermon  at  the  funeral  is  one  of  the  few  Dr.  Fisk  pub- 
lished; and  contains  an  admirable  portraiture  of  the  man 
and  Christian. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  199 


pertob  11. 

3.    ®lje  &bministration  of  tlje  Bet).  Sol)n  ^foster,  31.  itt. 
1832—1834. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  201 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE    SERVICES    AND    ASSOCIATES    OF   JOHN    FOSTER    AT 
THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 

AT  the  annual  meeting  of  the  trustees,  May  30, 1832, 
the  Rev.  John  Foster  was  elected  principal  in  the 
place  of  Mr.  Bangs.  English  by  birth,  he  came  early 
to  America,  and  in  1823  was  received  on  trial  in  the 
New  England  Conference.  A  self-made  man,  who 
studied  in  the  saddle  and  by  the  pine  knot  at  night,  he 
became  an  earnest  and  successful  student  and  a  popular 
preacher.  After  a  couple  of  years  on  the  Danville  and 
Vershire  circuits  he  went  to  Moretown  circuit,  where 
he  was  quite  successful  in  securing  conversions  and  in 
building  up  the  churches.  In  1826  he  traveled  the 
Boston  circuit  with  Merritt  and  J.  A.  Merrill,  passing 
the  next  year  to  the  Newbury  circuit  with  Bartholomew 
Otheman. 

In  Wilbur  Fisk,  in  whose  district  were  his  first 
three  charges,  he  found  a  true  and  helpful  friend,  who 
encouraged  him  in  his  work  and  stimulated  in  him  a 
love  of  learning,  thinking  the  defects  in  his  early 
training  might  be  partially  remedied,  and  a  man  of  fine 
natural  parts  be  rendered  more  useful  to  the  church. 


202  HISTORY  OF 

At  the  instance  of  his  friend,  Foster  was  stationed,  in 
1828,  in  Wilbraham,  where  he  was  popular  as  a  preacher 
and  improved  the  new  opportunity  for  study,  especially 
in  the  natural  sciences,  for  which  he  discovered  a 
natural  aptitude.  So  great  was  his  proficiency  that  he 
was  often  invited  to  hear  a  class,  and  was  invariably 
popular  wi-th  the  students.  As  a  self-made  man,  begin- 
ning late,  he  was  an  example  and  inspiration  to  struggling 
young  men.  If,  with  his  disadvantages,  the  young 
preacher  could  do  so  much,  what  might  not  those  do 
who  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  the  Academy?  So  far 
from  operating  to  his  disadvantage,  his  self-training 
formed  a  large  element  in  his  popularity.  In  1829  he 
was  employed  regularly  as  a  teacher,  and  made  a  good 
record  in  his  classes.  After  Dr.  Fisk's  retirement,  he 
was  the  foremost  man  in  the  faculty.  Even  under 
Bangs  he  was  really  in  front,  always  prompt,  active, 
energetic,  capable  of  great  endurance  and  inspired  by  a 
love  of  labor.  Besides  the  duties  of  the  class-room  he 
constantly  carried  on  advanced  courses  of  study. 

Already  really  in  possession,  he  was  naturally  chosen 
to  the  headship.  But  it  soon  became  apparent  that  he 
was  less  adapted  to  a  leading  than  to  a  subordinate 
position ;  he  could  teach  better  than  he  could  govern. 
The  class  brought  oat  his  better  qualities,  while  his 
elevation  to  the  highest  place  revealed  defects  and 
incompatibilities  hitherto  concealed.  Excellent  as  a 
man  and  a  preacher,  he  was  not  a  born  manager, 
especially  among  students  whom  he  seemed  never  fully 
to  understand.  Though  he  came  early  to  America,  a 
flavor  of  the  Englishman  remained.  Dignity  and 
reserve  marked  his  movements.  The  rule  of  authority 


THE  WESlEYAN  ACADEMY.  203 

came  in  the  place  of  the  tact  and  gentleness  so  fully 
realized  in  the  first  principal.  Fisk  was  the  father, 
Foster  the  magistrate.  The  morning  of  his  service  was 
clear  and  calm,  with  promise  of  a  serene  and  joyous 
day,  rather  than  the  confusing  war  of  elements  which 
supervened.  Under  other  conditions,  requiring  less 
tact  and  judgment,  he  might  have  made  a  good  run. 

As  associates  in  the  board  of  instruction,  he  had, 
during  his  first  year,  Edward  Otheman,  William  G. 
Mitchell  and  Samuel  P.  Dole,  whose  record  has  been 
already  given.  After  the  death  of  Edward  Hyde  the 
boarding  house  was  managed  until  the  close  of  the 
year  by  his  widow,  when  the  place  was  filled  by  Dr. 
Miles  Belden,  who  pleased  the  students  but  did  not 
have  a  long  reign.  In  the  spring,  John  W.  Hardy  was 
chosen  to  succeed  him,  but  for  some  reason  declined 
the  honor. 

In  1833,  Sabura  Stocking,  a  brother  of  Selah  and 
an  excellent  scholar,  was  chosen  to  the  position  of 
classical  teacher.  Born  in  Glastonbury,  Ct.,  June  24, 
1810,  he  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in 
1835.  Though  not  a  hard  student,  he  contrived  to 
carry  on  the  studies  of  his  last  two  years  in  college 
while  teaching  at  Wilbraham.  After  a  year  as  principal 
at  the  Troy  Conference  Academy,  he  studied  theology 
(1837-40)  at  New  Haven,  and  entered  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  He  was  rector  at  Newton,  Mass.,  and 
Orange  N.J.  After  traveling  in  Europe,  he  became 
rector  (1863-1881)  at  South  Oyster  Bay,  N.Y. 

In  his  appearance  and  manners,  Mr.  Stocking  was 
prepossessing.  Tall,  graceful,  easy  in  his  bearing,  with 
fair  countenance,  black  eyes  and  light  hair,  he  attracted 


204  HISTORY  OF 

attention  and  won  those  who  came  near  him  by  his 
genial  temper  and  fine  flow  of  spirits.  A  few  yet 
remember  his  courtly  air  and  the  jaunty  way  he  had  of 
throwing  his  cloak  over  his  shoulders.  In  the  plain 
coat  of  a  Methodist  preacher  he  appeared  to  less 
advantage  than  in  the  gown  of  the  clergyman. 

The  gifts  of  Mr.  Stocking  were  popular.  An  easy 
and  graceful  writer,  he  also  possessed  the  elements  of 
a  popular  speaker — mental  quickness,  a  musical  voice 
and  a  general  flow  of  feeling.  Acquiring  knowledge 
himself,  as  it  were,  by  absorption,  he  lacked  the  patience 
to  drill  less  active  intellects.  In  this,  he  was  very 
unlike  his  associate,  Dole,  who  took  the  kingdom  of 
knowledge  by  storm.  Though  he  remained  but  a  couple 
of  years  at  the  Academy,  Mr.  Stocking  is  remembered 
as  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  faculty  of  the  time. 

Daniel  H.  Chase,  celebrated  as  the  first  graduate  of 
the  Wesley  an  University,  and  serving  as  mathematical 
teacher  at  Wilbraham  for  a  single  year,  was  born  in 
Hoosick,  N.Y.,  March  8,  1814.  After  his  year  at 
Wilbraham  and  another  as  tutor  at  his  alma  mater,  he 
opened  in  1835,  the  Middletown  Institute  and  Prepar- 
atory School,  which  became  the  theater  of  his  life 
work. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  trustees,  in  1833,  George  M. 
Hyde  was  chosen  a  trustee  in  place  of  Elias  Gilbert, 
who  had  never  qualified.  For  occasional  visitors  and 
their  friends,  who  had  hitherto  been  entertained  free, 
"The  Resident  Agent"  was  requested  to  make  a 
reasonable  charge.  The  question  of  better  church 
accommodations  for  the  students  came  up  at  the  same 
time,  and  the  trustees  suggest  the  erection  of  a  new 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  205 

church  for  which  the  institution  will  pay  three  hundred 
dollars.  They  also  condemn  the  practice,  among  the 
students,  of  visiting  each  other's  rooms.  The  steward 
of  1833-4  was  Davis  Smith,  who  was  popular  among 
the  students,  but  an  ugly  deficit  of  five  hundred  dollars 
troubled  the  trustees.  John  W.  Hardy  suggested  that 
the  deficit  was  altogether  unnecessary ;  he  could  run 
the  department  so  as  to  show  a  balance  of  five  hundred 
dollars  on  the  other  side.  Dazed  for  the  moment,  the 
board  discharged  Smith  and  elected  Hardy,  who  assumed 
the  title  of  "Resident  Agent  of  the  Academy."  The 
change  was,  by  Hardy's  request,  to  be  kept  secret,  as 
the  students  might  make  some  disagreeable  demon- 
strations at  the  removal  of  their  favorite  steward;  but 
on  his  way  to  Springfield,  the  next  morning,  "the 
Resident  Agent"  met  Judge  Morris,  going  to  Wilbra- 
ham,  to  whom  he  revealed  the  doings,  and  before 
twelve  o'clock  the  judge  communicated  the  news  to  the 
astonished  trustees,  citizens  and  students.  The  sensa- 
tion in  the  school  was  immense.  In  spite  of  it,  Mr. 
Hardy,  in  the  spring  of  1834,  became  "the  Resident 
Agent"  and  a  disturbing  element  in  the  school.  With 
the  students  his  harsh,  autocratic  manner  made  him 
unpopular;  and  to  insure  the  five  hundred  dollar 
balance  he  was  obliged  to  provide  a  less  generous  table, 
which  could  never  be  adequately  explained  to  a  company 
of  hungry  students.  He  soon  came  in  collision  with 
the  principal.  Two  such  kings  could  not  rule  in 
harmony;  neither  knew  how  to  play  second.  As  a 
result,  the  school  became  divided  in  twain,  and  the 
offended  students  came  nearly  to  open  revolt.  At  the 
moment  of  outbreak  Dr.  Fisk  was  called  in  to  heal  the 


206  HISTORY  OF 

trouble ;  the  school  was  called  together,  and  Fisk  asked 
the  ring-leader  against  the  principal  what  was  his 
grievance.  Having  stated  it  in  mild  form,  the  point 
was  yielded  and  the  rebellion  collapsed  in  a  moment. 
The  old  order  was  resumed.  The  fire,  however,  instead 
of  being  extinguished,  continued  to  smoulder  under- 
neath, and  at  the  close  of  the  term  Mr.  Foster  concluded 
to  -yield  the  ground  to  "the  Resident  Agent"'  by 
offering  his  resignation.  In  receiving  it,  the  trustees 
commended  him  to  the  patronage  of  the  public  as  "a 
good  scholar  and  an  enterprising  and  efficient  teacher." 
The  closing  address  was  memorable.  Elaborately 
prepared  and  fully  written,  the  address  was  really 
a  defense  of  his  administration,  and  abounded  in  sharp 
hits  at"  the  Resident  Agent"  and  his  sinister  methods. 
In  many  respects  the  school  flourished  under  Foster, 
though  the  numbers  somewhat  declined.  The  five 
hundred  and  sixty-three  of  1832  declined  in  1833  to 
five  hundred  and  forty-six,  by  aggregate  of  terms. 

After  leaving  Wilbraham,  Mr.  Foster  taught  in  the 
South,  with  what  success  I  am  unable  to  learn. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  his  forte  was  not  in  management. 
As  a  preacher  he  excelled.  "  His  sermons  were  usually 
well  prepared;  his  manner  in  the  pulpit  was  chaste  and 
impressive,  and  he  seldom  failed  to  produce  deep  and 
salutary  impressions  on  the  audience."*  Argument, 
fact  and  Bible  statement  formed  his  stock  in  trade ;  illus- 
trations were  few  and  well  chosen,  not  seldom  from  the 
field  of  science  with  which  he  was  quite  familiar.  Delib- 
erate in  opening,  he  warmed  as  he  advanced,  but  never 
so  as  to  lose  control  of  himself.  Strength,  steadiness,  a 

*JV,  W.  Allen,  Ms.  Letter, 


THE    WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY,  207 

naastery  of  the  subject,  were  apparent.  John  Foster 
was  of  the  English  build,  short,  thick-set,  somewhat 
portly,  and  firmly  compacted,  a  picture  of  perfect  health, 
which  the  hard  service  in  the  itinerancy  had  not  tended 
to  damage.  For  his  opportunities,  he  made  much  of 
himself,  and  only  mistook  his  calling  in  undertaking  to 
become  a  school  manager,  especially  in  troublous 
times. 

In  these  days  the  Debating  Club  was  a  center  of 
interest,  where  all  the  great  questions  were  considered, 
and  the  powers  of  tb.e  contestants  were  measured  and 
disciplined.  To  nothing  do  old  students  turn  back 
with  more  delight  than  to  the  struggles  in  this  intel- 
lectual arena,  where  they  learned  to  think  on  their  feet 
and  to  measure  their  capacities  by  those  of  other  men. 

Of  the  students  of  the  time  some  became  widely 
known.  Ralph  W.  Allen  came  in  1830,  and  remained 
two  years.  He  became  a  preacher  and  writer.  Calm, 
deliberate,  he  was  a  good  manager,  with  clear  and 
judicious  insight  into  men  and  things.  Loranus  Crowell 
was  a  careful,  though  not  a  brilliant,  student,  and  became 
an  influential  member  of  the  Ne\v  England  Conference. 
Gad  N.  Smith  and  George  W.  Bates  also  became 
preachers ;  the  one  a  sedate  and  faithful  member  of  the 
New  York,  the  other  the  eccentric  preacher  of  the  New- 
England  Conference,  who  died  at  Martha's  Vineyard  in 
holy  triumph  after  long  sickness.  John  W.  Lindsay 
was  quite  young  when  at  the  Academy,  and  his  connection 
with  the  school  is  n  3t  much  remembered,  though  he  has 
made  a  conspicuous  record  since  as  an  educator  and 
preacher.  Joseph  W.  Lewis,  long  known  as  a  quiet 
and  worthy  member  of  the  New  England  Conference, 


HISTORY    OF 

received  his  training  at  the  Academy.  He  was  a 
natural  preacher  and  a  man  of  good  judgment.  Though 
he  never  aspired  to  high  things,  he  was  invariably  useful 
and  beloved  in  his  charges.  L.  W.  Blood  and  Hiram 
A.  Wilson  went  to  the  Providence  Conference,  where 
they  were  held  in  honor.  Franklin  Fisk,  a  pattern  of 
propriety  and  neatness  in  dress  and  manner,  was  here 
with  open  eyes  and  a  memory  which  hold's,  to  this  day, 
the  incidents  of  the  period.  Theophilus  Stewart,  a 
gentleman  and  good  scholar,  came  from  Georgia.  He 
traveled  with  Dr.  Olin  in  Egypt  and  the  East.  Abel 
Stevens,  at  fifteen  was  the  marvel  of  the  school,  known 
as  "the  boy  preacher"  then,  and  since  as  the  literary 
man  and  historian  of  Methodism.  From  Brimfield 
came  John  W.  and  Fisher  Ames  Foster.  The  latter 
was  great  in  declamation,  was  the  orator  of  the  time. 
He  long  held  a  government  position  at  Washington. 
Timothy  D.  Lincoln,  from  the  same  place,  made  a  noble 
record  at  the  Academy.  He  studied  law,  and  settled  in 
Ohio.  Charles  W.  Pitman,  a  worthy,  quiet  young 
man,  was  son  of  Dr.  Charles  Pitman.  Albert  G. 
Hough  ton,  of  the  firm  of  Hough  ton  &  Co.,  New  York, 
here  added  to  his  stock  of  knowledge,  and  obtained  a 
wife  in  Miss  Maria  Otis,  daughter  of  Rev.  Erastus  Otis, 
and  after  her  death  he  married  her  sister  Hannah.  Gardi- 
ner Rice,  an  earnest  and  persistent  student,  established  a 
private  academy  in  Holliston,  and  later  a  similar  one  in 
Shrewsbury.  John  Maffit,  the  clergyman's  rogue,  after- 
ward famous  in  blockade  running,  was  at  the  Academy. 
John  L.  and  Oscar  Shafter,  sons  of  Judge  Shafter,  of 
Vermont,  were  also  there.  Loyal  Andrus  was  loud  in 
his  devotions;  and  John  Loundsbury,  of  Connecticut,  is 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  209 

remembered  for  his  good  sense.  Little  Sam  M.  Hewlett 
afterwards  became  famous  as  the  temperance  orator. 
No  one  could  forget  Brother  John  Hyer,  from  Virginia. 
Among  the  ladies  of  the  period  were  Lucinda  Crane, 
of  Dal  ton,  already  noticed,  sister  of  Hon.  Z.  M.  and 
James  B.  Crane,  and  later  Mrs.  Dr.  Weston ;  Miss  Good- 
win, true,  sincere  and  devout;  Hannah  E.  Merrill, 
daughter  of  Rev.  J.  A.  Merrill,  and  later  wife  of  Rev. 
Henry  E.  Hempstead;  Elizabeth  Arnold,  a  chaste, 
seraphic  spirit,  who  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Estey  and,  after  his  death,  of  Rev.  Horace  Moulton ;  and 
Margaret  Carson,  of  Dalton,  who  became  Mrs.  Parker, 
of  Newburg,  N.Y.  Thomas  Bowman,  who  is  now  the 
venerable  and  beloved  senior  bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  at  the  Academy  for  a  brief  period 
in  1832.  Franklin  Fisk,  noticed  later  on  in  our  narrative, 
began  back  in  Foster's  time.  Sidera  Chase  came  in  also 
at  the  same  period.  Elizabeth  Henderson,  a  good  scholar 
and  an  attractive  young  lady,  became  the  first  wife  of 
Dr.  Miner  Raymond,  and  thus  spent  a  large  part  of 
her  life  at  Wilbraham,  where  she  was  highly  appreciated 
by  the  citizens  as  well  as  those  connected  with  the 
school. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  211 


periofc  n. 

4.    QLtye  &bmini0tration  of  llje  Heo.  ?Uaoib  fatten, 


Rev.    DAVID    PATTEN,    D.D. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  213 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE     RETURN     OP     PEACE    AND    PROSPERITY    TO    THE 

ACADEMY   UNDER  DAVID    PATTEN,   JR. 

1834. 

AT  the  annual  meeting  of  the  trustees,  in  1834,  the 
Rev.  David  Patten,  a  choice  young  man,  a  favor- 
ite of  Dr.  Fisk,  and  a  former  student  in  the  school, 
was  elected  principal.  He  was  born  in  Boston, 
October  15,  1810,  and  died  there  March  26,  1879. 
Reared  in  a  beautiful  Methodist  home,  he  was  early 
associated  with  the  services  of  the  church,  and  enjoyed 
the  best  advantages  of  training  in  the  primary  and 
intermediate  departments  in  the  city  schools,  graduat- 
ing with  honor  from  the  English  High  School.  To  com- 
plete his  preparation  for  college,  he  spent  some  time  in 
Wilbraham.  In  modesty,  industry  and  judgment  he 
was  a  model,  admired  by  both  teachers  and  pupils.  In 
the  boarding  house,  he  had  the  favorite  room  on  the 
second  floor.  Even  then,  he  was  recognized  as  the 
born  and  accomplished  gentleman.  For  one  of  his 
years,  he  was  remarkably  well  read  in  literature  and 
history ;  he  had  been  a  student  from  the  cradle.  He 


214  HISTORY  Of 

wrote  elegant  compositions  and  occasionally  courted 
the  Muses  with  success.  The  religious  convictions  which 
had  continued  with  him  from  the  cradle,  culminated  in 
conversion  during  the  great  revival  in  1828,  and  his 
young  life  was  happily  moulded  under  the  influence  of 
Dr.  Fisk.  The  story  of  his  conversion  was  charmingly 
told  by  himself  in  one  of  those  marvelous  prayer  ser- 
vices. The  glimmer  of  light,  as  the  dawn  which  broke 
upon  the  storm-tossed  voyager,  had  brightened  to  per- 
fect day,  the  peace  of  God. 

In  1830,  he  entered  the  Wesleyan  University  with 
ample  preparation,  and  graduated  in  1834  as  valedicto- 
rian. His  selection  to  fill  the  important  and  difficult 
place  at  Wilbraham  indicated  the  estimation  in  which 
his  talents  and  qualifications  were  held  by  Dr.  Fisk,  a 
good  judge  of  men,  who  enjoyed  the  advantages  of 
long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  young  princi- 
pal. Although  an  untried  man,  his  friends  felt  sure  of 
his  success.  He  had  always  moved  in  the  best  society. 
He  possessed  great  harmony  of  character.  In  temper 
and  manners  he  was  agreeable,  and  would  be  sure  to 
attract  people  to  him.  Such  qualifications  could  not 
fail  of  success. 

As  associates  in  the  work  of  instruction,  Mr.  Patten 
had  an  admirable  corps  of  teachers.  There  was 
"  Brother  Mitchell,"  with  his  usual  good  humor  and 
enthusiasm,  in  the  department  of  natural  science. 
Miner  Raymond  was  yet  in  the  English  branches, 
assisted  by  Loren  Wood.  Sabura  Stocking  instructed 
in  the  classics ;  John  Roper,  a  recent  graduate  of  Wes- 
leyan University,  took  the  chair  of  mathematics. 
Most  of  these  came  over  from  the  former  administra- 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  215 

tion.  John  Roper  was  a  new  recruit.  Born  in  York- 
shire, June  6,  1813,  he  early  came  to  America,  and 
after  the  preparatory  studies,  entered  Wesley  an,  gradu- 
ating in  1883,  as  one  of  the  first  class  of  six,  and  then 
he  was  only  twenty  years  old.  Even  then,  he  was  a 
mature  man  —  modest,  genial,  but  self-reliant  and 
thorough  in  his  knowledge  and  methods  of  teaching. 
Without  apparent  enthusiasm,  he  was  intense  and 
steady  in  devotion  to  his  work.  He  saw  truth  in  a 
clear,  dry  light.  Catharine  Hyde,  a  native  of  Wilbra- 
ham,  a  graduate  of  the  Academy  and  a  young  lady  of 
singular  excellence  and  beauty  of  character,  was  chosen 
preceptress.  With  ample  intellectual  furnishing,  she 
was  endowed  with  goodness,  and  her  life  shone  as  a 
clear  light  among  all  associated  with  her.  As  a 
teacher,  she  was  clear  and  enthusiastic,  inspiring  her 
pupils  with  the  desire  for  the  best  things  in  this  as  well 
as  the  other  life.  John  W.  Hardy,  the  genius  of  econ- 
omy and  the  man  of  severe  and  iron  will,  remained  as 
"  the  Resident  Agent,"  to  plague  the  young  principal. 
Under  his  rule,  "the  dingbat,"  or  solid  bread  of  the 
old  boarding  house,  came  into  great  ill  repute;  and 
some  said  he  could  squeeze  more  out  of  a  copper  penny 
than  most  men  could  extract  from  a  dollar.  He 
believed  in  things  that  paid  and  had  little  faith  in 
what  did  not  pay.  In  the  presence  of  such  a  living 
irritant,  David  Patten  remained  as  placid  as  the  silver 
lake. 

The  fall  term  had  been  announced  to  open  on  the 
first  Monday  in  September ;  but  the  religious  interest, 
centered  in  a  camp  meeting  held  in  the  grove  east  of  the 
Academy,  occasioned  a  delay  of  one  week.  The  meet- 


216  HISTORY  OF 

ing  was  largely  attended,  and  the  interest  pervaded  the 
school  during  the  whole  term.  Reuben  Ransom,  the 
village  preacher,  aided  greatly  in  the  work  by  his  ser- 
mons, social  services  and  personal  efforts.  As  a  result, 
many  students  as  well  as  citizens  were  led  to  accept  the 
Lord  Jesus  as  a  personal  Savior.  Brother  Ransom 
was  born  in  Rome,  N.Y.,  June  11,  1794,  and  died  at 
Grand  Paris,  Ind.,  in  1845.  Though  not  a  great,  he 
was  a  good  preacher,  and  the  odor  of  his  virtues  long 
remained  in  the  atmosphere  about  Wilbraham.  Some 
thought  "  the  glory  of  the  man  "  was  the  woman  whom 
the  Lord  had  given  to  be  with  him,  to  aid  in  dressing 
and  keeping  the  garden. 

On  the  second  Monday  in  September,  amid  the  fer- 
vors of  the  revival  and  the  natural  beauties  of  the 
summer  which  overspread  the  landscape,  the  school 
came  together  in  the  east  hall,  and  David  Patten,  Jr., 
with  an  elastic  step  and  in  the  most  graceful  manner, 
mounted  the  platform,  and  by  opening  the  fall  term, 
began  his  gracious  reign  at  Wilbraham.  The  day  was 
fine.  The  attendance  was  encouraging.  The  prospect 
inspired  the  best  hopes  for  the  future  of  the  school  as 
well  as  of  the  young  man  who  had  come  to  take  charge 
of  the  institution.  To  the  place  itself,  he  was  no 
stranger.  There  he  had  studied.  There,  too,  lie  had 
found  the  delightful  companionship  of  many  who  had 
gone  forth  into  the  great  harvest  field.  Above  all,  it 
was  there  he  had  taken  upon  him  the  vows  of  a  higher 
service  to  last  through  life.  With  a  brief  glance  at 
this  interesting  past,  and  a  look  forward  into  the  mys- 
terious future  opening  before  them,  with  suitable  coun- 
sels and  admonitions,  he  and  his  associates  plunged  into 


THE  WESLEfAN  ACADEMY.  217 

the  work  of  the  term,  determined,  whatever  might  be 
the  result,  to  devote  to  the  duties  of  the  place  their 
very  best  energies.  In  pursuance  of  this  high  purpose, 
difficulties  disappeared.  The  old  troubles  once  at  an  end, 
the  school  rilled  with  pupils,  and  a  measure  of  prosper- 
ity, beyond  anything  known  under  Dr.  Fisk,  attended 
the  institution.  In  1834,  the  numbers  in  attendance,  by 
aggregate  of  terms,  was  760,  an  advance  of  214  on  the 
preceding  year.  In  1835,  the  number  fell  to  716,  but 
the  next  year  a  tidal  wave  took  it  up  to  864,  and  in 
1837  to  934,  the  high  water  mark  of  his  administration. 
During  the  seven  years  Mr.  Patten  was  in  charge,  a 
large  amount  of  faithful  work  was  performed,  but 
most  of  it  in  a  quiet  and  orderly  manner:  a  sort  of  rou- 
tine, which  affords  few  incidents  adapted  to  garnish  an 
historical  outline.  The  new  principal  took  no  stock  in 
educational  novelties,  crazes  and  cheap  reforms.  Satis- 
fied to  do  one  thing,  and  fully  believing  there  was  no 
short  cut  to  the  kingdom  of  knowledge,  he  held  to  the 
beaten  path.  In  his  view,  the  only  effectual  means  of 
making  scholars  was  honest,  persistent  effort.  The 
institution  store  was  sold ;  the  plan  for  giving  instruc- 
tion in  mechanics  and  agriculture  was  totally  aban- 
doned ;  the  mechanic  shop  was  transformed  into  a 
laboratory,  and  the  farming  was  relegated  to  the 
steward,  who  was  usually  a  practical  farmer. 

1835. 

In  1835,  the  trustees,  encouraged  by  the  large  attend- 
ance, raised  the  principal's  salary  from  $400  to  $500 
per  annum.  The  preachers,  too,  who  had  contributed 
or  should  contribute  to  the  funds  of  the  Academy,  to 


218  HISTORY  Of 

the  amount  of  twenty-five  dollars,  were  to  have  fifteen 
per  cent  deducted  from  the  tuition  bills  of  pupils  they 
might  send.  This  small  favor  was  a  recognition  of  the 
valuable  services  the  preachers  had  rendered  the  institu- 
tion. In  the  New  England  boarding  schools  of  the  time 
very  slight  provision  was  made  for  music;  hence  it  is 
not  strange  that  Dr.  Fisk  made  no  provision  for  instru- 
mental music.  The  demand  had  not  arisen  in  the 
patronizing  territory.  No  students  came  asking  for 
instruction  in  that  department.  The  music  department 
was  of  slow  growth.  Mrs.  Potter,  a  friend  of  the  prin- 
cipal, who  went  to  Wilbraham  to  educate  her  children, 
began  to  teach  music.  Hannah  Potter,  the  daughter, 
became  proficient  in  music,  and  was,  this  year,  for  the 
first  time,  placed  in  charge  of  the  music  department. 
The  position  was  at  first  of  little  value.  Nothing  was 
organized.  There  were  no  pupils.  The  whole  matter 
was  an  aspiration  rather  than  a  reality.  Miss  Potter 
had  little  more  than  the  honor  of  being  appointed  the 
first  teacher  of  instrumental  music  at  the  Wesleyan 
Academy.  But,  like  the  true  teacher,  she  delighted  to 
try,  and  was  inspired  with  the  hope  of  ultimate  success. 
In  this  tentative  form,  the  music  department  was 
hardly  so  much  a  part  of  the  Academy  as  a  private 
attachment,  run  as  an  experiment  by  the  instructor. 
The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  obtain  an  instrument. 
There  was  but  one  piano  in  town,  and  that  too  poor  to 
use.  The  institution  was  not  yet  rich  enough  to  buy 
one,  a  situation  certainly  not  very  favorable  for  entering 
upon  a  course  of  musical  instruction.  Unable  to  pur- 
chase, Miss  Potter  was  fortunate  enough  to  hire  a 
small  instrument,  a  sort  of  pocket-edition  piano,  of 


WESLEYAtf  ACADEMY.  219 

Mrs.  Dr.  Frost,  of  Springfield,  on  which  were  thumped 
out,  in  the  parlor  of  the  old  boarding  house,  the  first 
notes  of  music  in  the  curriculum  of  the  Academy.  In 
possession  of  an  instrument,  the  next  need  was  of 
pupils.  The  response  was  slow.  The  first  to  come 
was  Miss  Emeline  R.  Moody  (later  Mrs.  Sterling).  For 
a  season  she  was  the  solitary  pupil ;  but,  in  course  of 
time,  another  and  another  responded  to  the  call.  Miss 
Potter  continued  but  a  single  year,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Miss  Sperry  and  others.  In  1836,  the  institution 
purchased  an  instrument,  and  from  that  date  has  given 
attention  to  instrumental  music. 

1836. 

At  the  annnal  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
August  16,  1836,  the  Hon.  Abel  Bliss,  who  had  served 
as  secretary  from  the  organization,  resigned  the  office, 
with  the  thanks  of  his  associates  for  the  able  and  satis- 
factory manner  in  which  he  had  discharged  its  duties. 
The  record  he  left,  in  his  own  hand,  is  extended,  accu- 
rate, full  and  neat,  serving  as  a  brief  running  history 
of  the  institution  through  several  of  its  earlier  years. 
At  the  same  meeting  John  M.  Merrick  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  board  and  made  its  secretary.  Rev.  J. 
A.  Merrill  was  chosen  treasurer. 

In  place  of  Sabura  Stocking,  Harvey  B.  Lane,  a  son 
of  George  Lane,  born  January  10,  1813,  was  chosen. 
After  a  single  year  of  service,  he  became  a  professor  at 
Wesleyan  University,  where  he  remained  for  his  life 
work.  The  wife  of  Professor  Lane  was  Maria,  sister  of 
Hannah  Potter,  the  first  music  teacher  at  the  Academy. 

In   1835,  the  Rev.  James  Porter  was  pastor  of  the 


220  HISTORY  Of 

village  church.  The  remarkable  feature  in  his  pastor- 
ate was  the  great  revival  of  that  year.  Not  less  than 
100  students  were  converted,  and  a  very  large  number 
was  added  to  the  membership  of  the  local  church. 
Some  of  the  conversions  were  quite  remarkable.  Wil- 
liam C.  Pierce,  a  prominent  student  and  afterwards  a 
leading  minister  in  one  of  the  Ohio  Conferences,  was 
one  of  these.  At  first  a  skeptic,  he  caine  at  length  to 
be  a  sincere  inquirer.  How  to  find  favor  with  God  he 
did  not  know.  It  was  at  length  proposed  by  his 
friends  that  he  should  go  to  the  church  and  offer  him- 
self as  a  seeker.  To  this  he  did  not  accede.  But  at 
the  close  of  the  evening  sermon  he  rose,  and  laying  off 
his  overcoat,  said :  "  Fellow  students,  I  have  been 
thinking  of  the  subject  of  religion  and  have  concluded 
it  is  true  and  good  and  my  duty  to  seek  it.  I  intend  to 
begin  to-night,  and  I  invite  you  all  to  go  to  the  altar 
with  me  and  try  to  find  it."  The  effect  was  electrical. 
The  descent  of  an  angel  would  not  have  astonished 
them  more  than  that  speech;  and  such  a  rush  to  the 
altar  has  seldom  been  seen.  The  work  broke  out  at 
once  in  great  power ;  and  Pierce,  who  was  a  magnetic 
speaker  and  a  favorite  with  the  students,  became  a 
great  worker  in  the  meetings. 


JOHN    M.    MERRICK. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  221 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  TURN  IN  THE  TIDE  OF    PROSPERITY  OF  THE 
WESLEYAN  ACADEMY   ABOUT   1837. 


1836. 

AT  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees  in 
1836,  Heman  Bangs,  John  L.  Smith  and  William 
S.  Smith,  who  had  served  for  brief  terms,  resigned.  To 
fill  the  places  thus  vacated,  Bartholomew  Otheman, 
Joel  M.  Lyman  and  John  M.  Merrick  were  chosen. 
Joel  M.  Lyman,  a  substantial  farmer  of  Wilbraham, 
who  as  a  local  member  was  able  to  perform  much  val- 
uable service  for  the  institution,  was  born  in  Wilbra- 
ham, April  17,  1796,  and  died  there  May  26,  1857.  He 
served  most  of  the  time  on  the  prudential  committee. 

John  M.  Merrick,  whose  long-continued  and  valuable 
services  in  the  board  give  him  a  high  place  of  honor, 
was  born  in  Wilbraham,  May  9,  1810,  and  died  there 
April  30,  1892.  He  was  reared  in  the  family  of  John 
Bliss,  to  whom  his  early-widowed  mother  had  been 
united  in  marriage ;  and,  at  his  majority,  came  in  pos- 
session of  the  substantial  property  left  by  his  father. 


222  HISTORY  OF 

From  a  very  early  day  he  was,  as  it  were,,  an  essential 
part  of  the  institution,  for  whose  interests  he  so  con- 
stantly and  faithfully  cared.  He  was  a  trustee  from 
1836,  and  from  1836  to  1842  he  was  secretary,  and 
then  again  from  1853  to  1858.  From  1842  to  1861  he 
was  treasurer  of  the  board.  From  1850  to  1852,  and 
again  from  1856  to  1861,  he  was  steward.  In  1826, 
he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he 
remained  to  the  end  an  honored  member.  In  1835  he 
was  chosen  a  trustee  of  the  church,  and  often  served  as 
steward  and  as  leader  of  the  choir.  He  was  one  of 
the  committee  to  build  the  church  in  1834,  and  also  the 
new  Memorial  Church  in  1870.  In  the  town  as  well  as 
the  church,  he  was  held  in  honor.  He  was  town 
clerk  in  1840-2,  and  again  1863-5.  For  thirty  years  he 
was  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  1866  was  a  representa- 
tive in  the  Legislature.  In  all  these  varied  relations 
which  he  sustained,  Mr.  Merrick  merited  and  received 
the  favor  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  came  down  into 
the  vale  of  years  as  one  of  the  most  honored  and 
substantial  men  of  the  town. 

In  1886,  on  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  election  as 
a  trustee  of  the  Academy,  the  other  members  of  the 
board  gave  him  a  reception  and  presented  to  him  a  fine 
portrait  of  himself.  The  presentation  speech  was 
made  by  Dr.  William  Rice,  the  president  of  the  board. 
The  occasion  was  a  delightful  one  and  gratifying  to 
Mr.  Merrick,  as  evidencing  the  high  appreciation  of 
his  services  by  his  fellow  members. 

Isaac  T.  Goodnow,  who  now  first  appears  as  a 
teacher,  was  born  in  Whitingham,  Vt.,  January  17, 
1814,  and  struggled  to  obtain  an  education.  He  was  a 


Prof.   I.  T.  GOODNOW. 


Prof.  JOHN    H.  TWOMBLY. 


THE   WEtiLEYAN  ACADEMY.  223 

clerk  in  Vermont  and  later  in  Coleraine,  where  he 
joined  the  Methodist  Church  in  1832,  and  became 
deeply  interested  in  education.  Joining  Ichabod  and 
Thomas  Marcy,  he  walked  sixty  miles  to  reach  the 
school,  where  he  remained  as  student  and  teacher  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  For  several  years,  he  studied 
at  the  Academy  in  the  summer,  and  during  the  winter 
taught  school  to  defray  his  expenses  in  the  summer. 
His  aptness  at  teaching  opened  the  way  for  the  use  of 
his  services,  first  in  the  department  of  English  and 
later  in  that  of  natural  science. 

Goodnow  was  tall,  slender,  with  light  complexion  and 
hair.  His  fresh  countenance  had  a  flush  of  crimson, 
especially  when  excited.  In  spite  of  his  frail  appear- 
ance, his  physical  nature  was  elastic  and  he  was  capable 
of  great  endurance.  He  was  a  great  pedestrian,  often 
going  on  foot  to  Springfield  and  back,  a  distance  of 
ten  miles  each  way.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  Graham- 
ite,  denouncing  in  his  physiology  class,  "hot  ding- 
bats," fresh  bread,  the  fine  wheaten  loaf,  and  all  the 
meats,  especially  "  hog,"  fit  only  to  be  eaten  by  people 
with  brass  stomachs.  But,  in  the  face  of  all  this  good 
instruction  and  advice,  the  students  indulged  in  the  hot 
bread  and  steak  without  stint.  However  excellent  the 
gospel  of  Grahamism,  very  few  students  possessed  the 
self-denial  requisite  to  observe  its  precepts.  But,  by 
the  enthusiasm  of  Goodnow,  physiology  became  in- 
stalled as  a  regular  study  in  the  Academy. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  attendance  in  1837  touched  the 
highest  point,  viz. :  934  by  aggregate  of  terms ;  and  from 
this  high  mark  the  numbers  steadily  declined  for  ten 
years.  The  causes  of  the  rapid  growth  of  the  Academy 


224  HISTORY  OF 

are  found  in  the  excellence  and  cheapness  of  the  school, 
The  opening  met  a  want  of  the  section,  and  the  rush  to 
the  new  institution  was  a  surprise  to  all  parties. 

The  decline  in  numbers  has  been  thought  less  expli- 
cable. The  principal  and  teachers  remained  popular, 
never  more  so.  The  instruction  was  thorough,  the 
management  judicious  and  the  general  interest  was 
never  better.  In  spite  of  all  this,  the  decline  went  on. 
The  change  came  from  without,  not  from  within.  The 
institution  retained  its  former  excellence ;  but  it  was 
operating  under  new  conditions.  There  were  several 
causes  of  this  decline  worthy  of  note. 

First,  the  hard  times  of  1837.  The  shock  in  the 
business  world  was  severe  and  widespread.  In  every 
part  of  the  land,  many  great  houses  went  down,  or 
were  so  damaged  as  to  cause  a  check  to  business.  In 
many  instances,  the  rich  became  poor,  and  the  poor 
found  their  scanty  incomes  greatly  diminished.  A 
financial  disturbance,  so  severe  and  widespread,  could 
not  fail  to  affect  unfavorably  the  patronage  of  the 
Academy. 

Secondly,  The  slavery  agitation  occasioned  the  with- 
drawal of  the  patronage  from  the  South.  This 
reformatory  cyclone,  arising  as  early  as  1830,  had  now 
attained  great  intensity  and  violence.  The  advocacy 
was  positive  and  earnest,  the  opposition  powerful  and 
bitter.  The  social  atmosphere  was  in  an  inflammable 
condition.  No  department  of  society  was  exempt  from 
the  agitation ;  the  state,  the  church,  the  family,  the 
neighborhood  felt  the  touch  of  reform.  Of  course,  the 
discussion  invaded  the  Academy.  Trustees,  teachers 
and  students  were  stirred  by  the  new  impulse,  either 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  225 

favorably  or  unfavorably.  The  young  men  caught  it 
up  in  the  debating  club ;  they  made  the  negro  and  his 
wrongs  the  subjects  of  composition ;  they  thrust  incen- 
diary papers  into  the  reading  room.  Abolition  was  the 
one  topic  sure  to  strike  fire.  In  the  running  debate, 
which  continued  through  several  years,  the  warm  and 
generous  Southrons  were  constant  participants,  as 
often  in  favor  of  abolition  as  against  it.  With  the 
boys  it  was  hardly  yet  a  conviction:  it  was  an  impulse, 
resulting  from  the  agitated  state  of  the  social 
atmosphere. 

Meantime,  a  majority  of  the  trustees  and  teachers,  if 
not  in  sympathy  with  the  peculiar  institution,  feared 
the  influence  the  continued  agitation  might  exert  on 
the  school.  To  moderate  public  feeling,  the  trustees 
declared  it  "altogether  uncalled  for,  inexpedient  and 
injurious  to  have  introduced  into  the  public  exhibitions 
and  performances  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  any  of 
the  exciting  party  subjects  of  the  day.  The  board, 
therefore,  request  and  instruct  the  principal  to  prevent 
the  introduction  of  any  such  topics  on  such  occasions, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  prevent  the  agitation  of  any 
such  subjects  among  the  students." 

The  resolution  reminds  us  of  Madame  Partington's 
broom.  They  could  make  no  headway  against  a  sea 
which  was  breaking  over  the  continent.  Despite 
resolves  and  precautions,  the  waves  rolled  over  trustees 
and  faculty.  The  stoutest  opposers  of  to-day  became 
the  leaders  of  reform  to-morrow.  The  Reading  Room 
Society  took  the  bits  in  its  teeth,  and  rushed  ahead  on 
lines  deemed  objectionable  to  trustees  and  teachers. 
The  reform,  once  in  the  majority,  determined,  in  the 


226     .  HISTORY  OF 

exercise  of  a  sort  of  State  rights,  to  introduce  the  most 
objectionable  and  inflammable  documents.  The  read- 
ing room  was  a  little  institution  of  their  own,  and 
they  proposed  to  run  it  independent  of  trustees  and 
faculty.  All  they  asked  was  to  be  let  alone  in  their 
glory.  To  bring  them  to  a  better  mind,  "  the  trustees 
authorize  the  society  so  to  amend  their  constitution  as 
to  prohibit  the  introduction  of  any  periodicals  until 
paid  for  in  advance  ;  and,  also,  that  no  periodical  shall 
be  taken  in  the  reading  room,  the  moral  character  of 
which  is  objected  to  by  a  majority  of  the  faculty  and 
resident  trustees."  They  had  already  forbidden  the 
society  to  modify  its  rules  without  the  approval  of  the 
authorities. 

But  these  defensive  measures  were  of  no  avail.  In 
one  form  or  another,  the  debate  went  on.  A  leader  in 
these  movements  was  son  of  an  influential  trustee.* 
For  posting  a  notice  on  the  premises,  of  an  anti-slavery 
meeting,  he  was  called  before  the  faculty,  and  Miner 
Raymond,  then  a  rising  teacher  and  later  principal  of 
the  Academy,  and,  also,  later  a  flaming  abolitionist, 
thought  the  young  culprit  ought  to  be  expelled.  But 
he  was  not  expelled,  nor  even  silenced  on  the  matter 
in  controversy.  The  debate  went  on  with  increasing, 
intensity,  until  the  ideas  of  New  England  on  personal 
liberty  obtained  complete  sway  in  the  institution,  and 
Southern  patronage  was,  as  a  matter  of  course,  entirely 
withdrawn. 

Thirdly.  The  founding  of  rival  institutions,  in  the 
patronizing  territory,  was  another  potent  cause  of 
decline.  At  the  beginning,  the  Wesleyan  Academy  ha.il 

#  William  Bice,  Jr.,  now  Rev,  Dr.  Rice,  of  Springfield, 


Rev.  WILLIAM    RICE,   D.Di 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  227 

no  rival  in  the  Methodist  Church.  Students  came 
from  every  part  of  the  land.  But  the  very  success  at 
Wilbraham  stimulated  the  friends  of  education  in 
other  parts  of  the  church  to  secure  similar  foundations, 
thus  narrowing  the  field  of  the  Academy  at  Wilbraham 
to  New  England,  then  to  Massachusetts,  and  finally 
to  the  western  part  of  the  State.  New  Hampshire, 
Vermont,  Maine  and  Rhode  Island  planted  schools  of 
their  own,  thus  excluding  the  old  Academy  from  their 
territory.  Other  denominations,  also,  planted  around 
the  Wesleyan  Academy  —  Monson,  Westfield,  Suffield, 
Easthampton,  Amherst  and  others.  This  would  natu- 
rally diminish  the  attendance  of  non-Methodist  stu- 
dents, of  which  there  has  been  from  the  first  a  large 
number,  rising  often  as  high  as  one  third.  In  spite  of 
these  rival  institutions,  however,  large  numbers  of  out- 
side students  are  still  attracted  to  Wilbraham  by  its 
reasonable  rates  and  thorough  methods.  But  with  so 
much  of  its  territory  cut  away,  there  was  but  one  way 
open  to  the  Academy.  The  narrow  field  must  be 
ploughed  deeper,  and  more  carefully  cultivated.  The 
harvest  which  had  come  from  a  hundred  acres,  must 
now  be  gathered  from  ten.  This  deeper  culture 
required  time.  Some  years  must  elapse  before  the 
institution  could  rise  to  its  old  record  of  numbers. 

Fourthly.  But  the  grand  cause  of  decline  is  found 
in  the  reorganization  of  the  public  school  system  under 
Horace  Mann.  The  State,  by  undertaking  what  these 
institutions  had  been  doing  to  promote  higher  educa- 
tion among  the  people,  became  the  most  formidable 
rival  of  the  academies.  In  the  high  school  the  people 
have  the  academy  at  their  doors,  which  is,  of  course, 


228  HISTORY  OF 

the  best  arrangement,  especially  for  the  poor.  Their 
children  can  enjoy  the  advantages  of  the  best  instruc- 
tion in  the  high  school  even  when  unable  to  attend  an 
academy.  The  public  school  must  always  be  the 
school  of  the  people,  extending,  as  it  does,  its  advan- 
tages to  all  classes  on  the  easiest  terms.  The  old  sys- 
tem in  Massachusetts  was  rudimentary,  taking  the 
pupils  little  beyond  the  four  R's.  The  attempt  of 
Horace  Mann  was  to  enlarge  and  perfect  the  system, 
so  as  to  take  the  pupil  on  to  the  college,  thus  filling 
the  space  between  the  primary  school  and  the  college, 
which  had  been  occupied  by  the  academy.  The  high 
school  narrows  the  field  from  which  the  academy  can 
draw  patronage. 

The  spirit  of  this  great  reform  became  incarnate  in 
Horace  Mann,  in  whom  broad  intelligence  was  com- 
bined with  profound  moral  and  humanitarian  instincts 
and  convictions.  This  eminent  philanthropist  and  edu- 
cational reformer  was  born  in  Franklin,  Mass.,  May  4, 
1796,  and  died  in  Ohio,  August  2,  1859.  The  theme 
of  his  oration  on  graduating  at  Brown,  in  1819, 
gave  the  key-note  of  his  life  work — the  Progressive 
Character  of  the  Human  Race.  He  studied  law,  and 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  from  Dedham,  in  1827. 
Removing  to  Boston,  in  1829,  he  was  elected  to  the 
Senate,  of  which  -body  he  was  chosen  president  for 
1836  and  1837.  He  afterwards  went  to  Congress,  and 
during  his  last  years  was  President  of  Antioch  College. 
But  his  best  work  was  in  the  fields  of  education  and 
philanthropy.  As  a  legislator,  he  aimed  at  humanita- 
rian rather  than  mere  industrial  and  economic  improve- 
ment: he  wished  to  improve  the  man,  as 'well  as  his 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  229 

conditions.  And  in  securing  the  moral  improvement 
of  man,  he  assigned  a  very  high  place  to  education. 
"Its  function  is  to  call  out  from  within  all  that  was 
divinely  placed  there,  in  the  proportion  requisite  to 
make  a  noble  being,"  reminds  us  of  Milton's  grand 
passage,  on  the  same  subject,  where  he  would  employ 
education  as  an  instrument  for  repairing  the  ruin  occa- 
sioned by  the  fall  of  man. 

It  was  natural  that  the  friends  of  education  in 
Massachusetts  should  turn  to  this  man,  as  the  natural 
leader  in  the  reorganization  of  the  educational  system 
of  the  State.  As  no  other  man  of  the  time,  he  realized 
the  defects  of  the  existing  system,  and  understood  the 
true  "remedy.  He  felt  that  no  patchwork  would  do: 
the  system  must  be  reorganized  entire ;  a  work  which 
the  legislature,  under  his  inspiration  and  leadership, 
took  in  hand.  On  the  29th  of  June,  1837,  the  Massa- 
chusetts Board  of  Education  was  organized,  and 
Horace  Mann,  the  real  originator,  was  chosen  the  first 
secretary.  Leaving  all  other  business,  he  devoted  him- 
self to  the  work  of  improving  the  quality  and  elevat- 
ing the  standard  of  education  in  his  native  State.  For 
the  time,  this  was  his  one  work.  The  toil  of  years  was 
not  in  vain.  He  not  only  gave  Massachusetts  a  better 
system:  he  communicated  a  powerful  impulse  to  the 
cause  of  education  throughout  the  Republic.  The 
Massachusetts  system  has  been  the  model  on  which  other 
States  have  moulded  their  educational  institutions. 

Under  the  new  regime,  normal  schools  were  founded; 
the  schools  were  graded,  registers  were  to  be  kept,  and 
in  towns  of  3,000  inhabitants  high  schools  were  to 
be  maintained.  In  a  word,  under  the  magic  touch  of 


sts'ronr  o> 

Horace  Mann  a  model  system  of  education  was  pro- 
duced, which  will  forever  remain  the  grandest  monu- 
ment to  the  genius  and  wisdom  of  this  great  educator. 
Every  town  felt  the  effects  of  his  work. 

The  purpose  of  these  new  State  provisions  was  to 
supersede  the  academies.  If  the  higher  provisions  had 
reached  the  small  towns  and  villages,  the  end  would 
have  been  attained.  Here  the  State  failed.  The  high 
school  could  reach  only  the  needs  of  the  large  towns. 
Hence,  there  still  remains  a  field  for  the  academies. 
And  then,  too,  some  parents  prefer  to  send  to  the 
academy.  Some  students  begin  late,  and  would  hardly 
care  to  enter  the  high  school ;  and  those  preparing  for 
college  generally  prefer  to  go  to  the  academy,  where 
this  is  a  specialty.  So  that  from  these  special  sources 
the  academies  are  still  kept  full,  and  are  likely  to  be  in 
the  years  to  come.  At  the  same  time,  we  can  see  how 
the  academies  in  Massachusetts  labor  under  new  diffi- 
culties. The  field  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  has  been 
greatly  restricted ;  and  it  is  only  its  marked  excel- 
lencies which  enable  it  to  retain  large  numbers. 

Miss  Miranda  Nash  was,  in  1837,  employed  as  music 
teacher,  at  a  salary  of  $200.  The  salary  of  the  princi- 
pal was  raised  from  $500  to  $550  ;  and  that  of  Miner 
Raymond  from  $300  to  $400,  which  was  considered 
fairly  liberal  at  the  time. 

Among  the  students  in  attendance  during  David 
Patten's  term,  were  the  following :  Margaret  Otheman, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Abel  Stevens,  noted  as  the  boy 
preacher,  and  later  still  more  widely  known  as  the  his- 
torian of  Methodism.  Jane  C.  Sessions,  who  became 
Mrs.  David  P.  Robinson,  of  Blandford.  Lucy  Stone, 


THE   tfESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  231 

the  well-known  advocate  of  anti-slavery  and  woman's 
rights,  who  married  Dr.  Black  well,  was  here,  as  also 
Julia  Avery,  an  attractive  young  lady,  who  became 
the  wife  of  John  Roper,  and  after  his  death,  the  wife  of 
George  C.  Rand,  the  famous  Boston  printer.  Abraham 
Avery,  Jr.,  a  member  of  the  great  printing  firm  of 
Rand,  Avery  &  Co.,  was  a  student  of  this  period. 
John  W.  Dadmun,  a  conspicuous  student,  became  a 
popular  preacher  in  the  New  England  Conference;  and 
Josiah  Hayden,  of  Williamsburg,  became  a  noted  local 
preacher  in  the  Valley.  Antoinette  C.  M.  Bliss, 
daughter  of  John  Bliss  and  half-sister  of  John  M.  Mer- 
rick,  married  the  Rev.  Dr.  Spear,  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  South.  Caroline  L.,  daughter  of  William 
North,  of  Lowell,  a  leading  student,  became  the  wife  of 
Dr.  William  Rice,  of  the  New  England  Conference. 


232  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE    LATER   SERVICES   OF   DAVID   PATTEN,  JR.,  AT  THE 
WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 

THE  year  1838,  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  opened 
under  favorable  auspices.  Though  the  decline 
already  mentioned  had  begun,  the  decrease  in  numbers 
was  so  slight  as  to  be  hardly  noticeable.  The  tide  was 
still  at  flood,  and  both  teachers  and  students  were 
animated  with  courage  and  hope. 

The  trustees  applied  to  the  Massachusetts  Legislature 
for  the  appropriation  of  some  part  of  the  funds  provided 
by  the  State  for  the  education  of  teachers.  Although 
it  was  made  to  appear  that  the  Academy  had  sent  out 
"from  forty-nine  to  one  hundred  teachers  for  the  public 
schools  annually,  the  application  was  unsuccessful." 
It  was  just  at  the  moment  when  the  State  was  making 
preparation  to  educate  the  needed  number  of  teachers 
in  its  own  special  schools. 

The  large  numbers  in  attendance  made  some  further 
provisions  for  boarding  indispensable.  For  several 
terms  they  had  been  short  of  room.  The  boarding 
house  was  full;  the  neighborhood  was  crowded,  and 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  233 

still  there  were  those  who  could  not  be  accommodated. 
The  basement  of  the  Academy  had  been  partitioned 
into  sleeping  rooms  and  still  the  provision  proved 
inadequate,  making  it  evident  to  the  trustees  that 
nothing  short  of  an  addition  to  the  old  boarding  house, 
or  the  building  of  a  new  one,  would  meet  the  demand. 
After  mature  consideration,  it  was  determined  to  erect 
a  new  boarding  house  for  the  ladies,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  street,  opposite  the  principal's  house.  The 
building  was  to  be  three  stories  with  a  basement, 
eighty-five  by  twenty-eight  feet,  and  capable  of  accom- 
modating eighty  students,  besides  the  steward  and  his 
family,  and  the  teacher  having  the  general  supervision. 
This  commodious  and  elegant  building,  for  several 
years  filled  with  boarders,  cost,  with  its  furnishing, 
85,000.  The  exact  cost  of  the  building  itself  was 
83,808.43.  Both  houses  were  crowded  with  students; 
but  the  new  house  had  so  far  relieved  the  pressure  as  to 
allow  the  basement  to  the  Academy  to  be  transformed 
into  an  assembly  room.  The  religious  interest  of  the 
year  was  encouraging.  Besides  the  laborers  in  con- 
nection with  the  school,  the  Rev.  William  Livesey,  as 
pastor  of  the  village  church,  was  helpful  to  every 
spiritual  interest  in  the  community. 

William  H.  Buzzell  was  this  year  added  to  the 
teaching  corps.  He  was  employed  in  the  classical 
department.  Born  in  Portland,  Maine,  December  4, 
1809,  he  early  devoted  himself  to  study,  and  after 
passing  through  the  schools  of  his  native  city,  he 
entered  the  Wesleyan  University,  graduating  with  high 
rank  in  1838.  On  leaving  college,  he  entered  on  his 
work  at  Wilbraham,  where  he  remained  until  1855, 


$34  HISTORY  OF 

a  period  of  seventeen  years.  After  leaving  the  Academy 
in  1855,  he  taught  in  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  in  1871 
became  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Shakers  at  Water- 
vliet,  New  York,  as  also  the  teacher  of  the  children  in 
the  family.  From  1873  to  1881,  he  was  postmaster  of 
Songea,  Livingston  County,  New  York,  where  he  still 
resides.  He  married  Rebecca  Doane,  of  Orleans,  for 
some  time  a  pupil  under  him  at  Wilbraham.  She  died 
October  29,  1853,  leaving  several  children. 

Mr.  Buzzell  was  a  short,  thick-set  man,  with  dark 
complexion,  hair  and  eyes.  Though  reputed  to  be  the 
best  educated  man  in  the  institution,  being  master  of 
seven  or  eight  languages  and  having  a  head  stuffed  to 
repletion  with  all  sorts  of  knowledge,  he  was  extremely 
modest  and  destitute  of  personal  magnetism ;  while  in 
society,  in  which  he  mingled  very  little,  he  was  inept 
and  reticent.  As  a  teacher,  he  was  always  thoroughly 
master  of  his  subject  and  very  familiar  with  the  details 
of  the  text-books;  but  he  was  less  "apt  to  teach"  than 
some  of  his  associates  in  the  faculty.  A  ready  scholar 
himself,  he  could  not  easily  come  into  rapport  with 
minds  struggling  up  from  the  beginnings  of  knowledge, 
or  sympathetically  conduct  them  step  by  step  to  com- 
plete mastery  of  the  subject  in  hand.  Men  who  easily 
attain  the  goal  are  not  always  able  to  comprehend  the 
struggles  of  minds  which  work  more  slowly.  Never- 
theless, Buzzell  was  a  great  drill-master,  never  weary 
till  the  idea  permeated  the  brain  of  the  pupil.  The 
drill  was  heavy.  There  was  no  uplift  of  his  classes  to 
a  clearer  atmosphere,  no  burst  of  enthusiasm  to  take 
them  on  to  the  goal.  In  spite  of  these  defects,  his 
work  was  thorough  and  durable.  Though  he  could 


SUSAN    J.    SWIFT 
(Mrs.    Dr.  G.    M.   Steele). 


EMELINE    R.    MOODY 
(Mrs.    Sterling),    Student. 


Miss  L.   M.   HODGKINS, 
Professor  in  Wellesley   College. 


LYDIA    BREWER 

(Mrs.    Dr.    E.    Noyes  Colt),    the  first  student 
at   Wilbraham. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  235 

never  speak  extemporaneously,  he  would,  on  occasion, 
read  a  graceful  paper. 

Miss  Hannah  M.  Thompson,  who  now  became  pre- 
ceptress and  made  a  remarkable  impression  on  the 
school,  was  born  in  Chester,  Vermont,  November  25, 
1812,  and  died  in  Nova  Scotia,  March  10,  1844.  As  we 
have  seen,  she  accompanied  her  parents  to  Concord  and 
Wilbraham,  where  she  passed  through  a  full  course  of 
instruction,  discovering  great  aptitude  for  learning  and 
an  elegant  taste  in  literature  and  the  fine  arts.  Under 
the  preaching  and  influence  of  Dr.  Fisk,  she  became 
personally  devoted  to  Christ  and  a  worthy  and  useful 
member  of  the  church. 

With  quick,  active  and  vigorous  mental  faculties, 
delicate  tastes  and  a  love  for  the  beauties  of  nature, 
she  made  rapid  advances  in  study.  With  a  taste  for 
literature  and  art,  she  delighted  also  in  the  higher 
branches.  Mental  and  moral  as  well  as  natural  science 
were  her  joy;  and,  as  a  recreation,  she  often  went 
through  the  problems  of  algebra  and  geometry.  To  a 
mind  ever  on  the  alert,  eager  to  grapple  with  and 
master  difficulties,  no  study  was  accounted  hard;  the 
severest  tasks  served  as  a  pastime.  In  the  Sabbath 
school,  she  was  a  devoted  and  successful  teacher;  and 
at  an  early  date  she  exhibited  taste  and  skill  in  the  use 
of  the  pen,  especially  in  writing  for  youth.  "  Procras- 
tination" and  "The  Widow's  Jewels,"  which  give 
evidence  of  beauty  and  force  of  expression,  had  a  great 
run  as  Sunday  school  books.  They  were  among  the 
best  of  the  time. 

In  person  she  was  slender  and  graceful.  Modesty 
and  frankness  were  admirably  combined  in  the  ex- 


HISTORY  OF 

pression  of  her  countenance.  In  manners,  she  was 
elegant  and  easy,  without  affectation  ;  and  there  was  an 
air  of  piety  and  devotion  in  her  conversation.  In  a 
word,  in  her  character  there  was  a  chaste  and  beautiful 
harmony,  a  combination  of  virtues  and  graces  which 
made  her  life  really  attractive  to  those  associated  with 
her. 

To  her  new  task  she  addressed  herself  with  thought- 
fulness  and  courage.  "  I  trust  I  shall  be  able  to  do  my 
duty ;  at  the  same  time  I  feel  a  very  strong  inclination 
to  say  what  that  duty  is ;  and  while  I  think  I  wish  to 
be  led,  I  am  constantly  choosing  to  lead."  While 
courageous  in  undertaking  her  work  at  the  Academy 
she  cast  a  longing  look  towards  the  home  from  which 
she  hoped  never  to  be  long  separated. 

With  these  home  longings,  she  remained  resolutely 
at  her  post  and  impressed  herself  as  no  preceptress  had 
hitherto  been  able  to  do  upon  the  school.  Pupils  were 
stirred  by  her  teaching  and  moulded  by  her  gentle 
spirit  and  beautiful  example.  The  memory  of  her 
virtues  and  gracious  deeds  was  cherished  in  the  institu- 
tion. At  the  close  of  the  spring  term  she  returned 
to  Boston ;  and,  on  the  fourth  of  October,  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Rev.  Humphrey  Pickard  (now  Dr. 
Pickard),  of  Sackville,  New  Brunswick.  A  beautiful 
memoir,  with  selections  from  her  writings,  was  prepared 
by  Rev.  Edward  Othemari.  Though  now  out  of  print, 
so  graceful  a  volume  could  be  reproduced  to  advantage. 

The  year  1839,  in  the  Academy,  was  uneventful. 
Josiah  Hayden  of  Williamsburg,  Mass.,  and  Rev. 
William  Smith  were  added  to  the  board. of  trustees. 
The  former  served  inconspicuously  for  four  years ;  and 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  237 

the  latter,  a  member  of  the  New  England  Conference, 
who  married  the  daughter  of  Hon.  Abel  Bliss,  died  in 
Boston,  March  30,  1843.  His  son,  Rev.  Augustus 
Smith  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Rock  River  Con- 
ference. The  trustees  in  memorial  resolutions  recount 
the  virtues  of  the  deceased  and  make  grateful  mention 
of  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  institution.  They 
also  extend  further  favor  to  the  preachers.  Instead  of 
making  a  reduction  of  tuition  bills  in  favor  of  their 
children,  they  made  tuition  free  to  them. 

One  of  the  great  enterprises  of  the  time  was  the 
building  of  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad,  which 
was  completed  from  Boston  to  Springfield  in  1839. 
The  event  was  celebrated  in  Springfield  by  a  mass  meet- 
ing at  which  Gov.  Edward  Everett  delivered  one  of  his 
elegant  addresses  on  the  material  progress  of  the  age. 
Among  the  crowds  in  attendance  to  witness  the  marvel 
and  to  hear  the  silver-tongued  orator,  were  the  students 
of  the  Wesleyan  Academy.  It  was  their  first  ride  on 
the  railway,  and,  as  it  was  free,  every  lad  availed  him- 
self of  the  opportunity  to  witness  the  celebration. 

In  1838  and  1839,  the  Rev.  William  Livesey  was  pas- 
tor of  the  village  church.  During  the  latter  year,  there 
was  a  deep  religious  interest  among  both  citizens  and 
students.  The  pastor  was  aided  in  this  good  work  by 
the  Rev.  John  Rice  and  the  Rev.  Leonidas  L.  Rosser 
(later  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rosser),  and  among  those  converted, 
at  that  time,  was  Gilbert  Haven,  afterwards  so  famous 
as  a  writer,  a  radical  leader,  and  a  bishop  in  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church.  Prior  to  this  great  change  in 
his  life-purpose,  he  trained  with  the  less  regulated  ele- 
ments in  the  school. 


23$  MISTOXY  OF 

In  1840,  the  Board  of  Trustees  elected  to  their  body 
Professor  (afterwards  President)  Augustus  W.  Smith, 
of  Middletown,  who  served  the  institution  for  twenty 
years,  thus  restoring  the  intimate  connection  of  the 
Academy  with  the  college.  Dr.  Fisk  had  died  in  the 
close  of  the  preceding  year,  and  this  new  election  was 
designed  to  fill  his  place.  Judicious  in  his  plans  and 
counsels  about  the  ordinary  matters  of  administration, 
Dr.  Smith  was  especially  serviceable  in  the  selection  of 
teachers,  with  many  of  whom  he  had  been  familiar  in 
their  college  course. 

The  year  1840  was  marked  by  great  political  excite- 
ment through  the  country.  It  was  the  Harrison  year. 
The  air  was  full  of  tariff  reform.  The  anti-slavery  agi- 
tation, also,  began  now  to  be  felt  in  the  North,  espe- 
cially in  New  England.  The  patriotism  of  the  school 
was  displayed  in  the  Fourth  of  July  celebration.  Ro- 
land Hitchcock,  a  prominent  student  and  an  ardent 
Democrat  and  stump  speaker,  whose  fame  filled  the 
church,  gave  the  oration.  Washington,  Jefferson,  the 
country  and  liberty,  in  the  fashion  of  the  day  were  glo- 
rified. Then  came  the  toasts,  responded  to  by  Hemp- 
stead,  Bill,  Park,  Haskell,  Fleming  and  Anderson. 
The  Republic  and  the  rights  of  man,  of  course,  were  not 
forgotten.  The  principal  came  in  for  a  share  of  com- 
mendation. He  was  toasted  as  "a  gentleman  whose 
acknowledged  talents  and  moral  worth  have  deservedly 
won  for  him  the  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  is  asso- 
ciated." 

For  several  years,  these  fourth  of  July  celebrations 
had  proved  a  means  of  disturbance.  If  the  adherents  of 
one  political  party  were  in  the  lead,  those  in  the  other 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMI.  239 

wing  would  withdraw  and  celebrate  by  themselves  in 
some  other  place.  To  prevent  the  recurrence  of  these 
independent  divisions  on  political  lines,  the  trustees 
determined  to  close  the  term  during  the  last  days  of 
June,  an  order  which  still  prevails. 

The  exhibition  this  year  was  an  unusually  brilliant 
affair.  Several  talented  young  men — Park,  Hemp- 
stead,  Beach,  Merrill,  Lamberton,  Braman,  Rice — took 
part.  The  oration  of  W.  A.  Braman  on  the  character 
of  Robert  Hall  was  commended  for  "beauty  of  idea, 
purity  of  style  and  for  the  decided  tone  of  religious  sen- 
timent which  pervaded  it ;  "*  and  that  of  William  Rice, 
Jr.,  the  valedictorian,  on  the  Triumphs  of  Christianity 
"was  a  noble  effort,  the  product  of  a  mind  strengthened 
and  disciplined  by  constant,  laborious  application. 
Many  parts,  particularly  that  in  which  the  future  tri- 
umphs of  Christianity  were  contemplated,  were  strik- 
ingly beautiful."*  The  valedictory  addresses,  at  the 
close  of  the  oration,  "  were  eloquent  and  pathetic.  The 
speaker  evidently  touched  the  right  vein  of  feeling,  and 
the  effect  upon  those  who  listened  will  not  soon  be  for- 
gotten. There  are  few  scenes,  in  the  history  of  early 
life,  more  painful  than  the  separation  from  those  with 
whom  we  have  been  associated  in  study.  The  occasion 
awakened  tender  and  stirring  thoughts  and  feelings 
and  the  delicate  themes  were  touched  by  the  orator 
with  great  skill  and  ability."! 

The  fall  term  of  1840  was  a  season  of  social  and  reli- 
gious interest.  There  was  much  small  roguery  in  the 
boarding  house,  which  eluded  the  search  of  Bro.  Healy, 
the  steward.  A  stove  sometimes  tumbled  down  the 

*  Springfield  Gazette,  July  29, 1840.    t  Springfield  Gatette, 


240  HISTORY  OF 

stairs  of  the  third  story,  or  a  calf  or  pig  was  found  in 
that  high  place. 

In  the  spring  of  1841,  the  country  was  startled  by 
the  sudden  death  of  President  Harrison.  A  fast  was 
proclaimed  by  the  Vice-President,  who  then  became 
President.  The  students  were  called  together  in  the 
basement  of  the  Academy  and  an  able  discourse  was 
delivered  by  Miner  Raymond,  on  the  strength  and  per- 
petuity of  a  nation,  based  on  Psalms  33:  12:  "Blessed 
is  that  nation  whose  God  is  the  Lord." 

With  the  spring  term  of  1841,  the  services  of  David 
Patten,  Jr.,  at  the  Academy  came  to  an  end.  He  was 
transferred  to  the  Providence  Conference,  where  he 
held  leading  charges  and  was  Presiding  Elder  on  the 
Providence  District.  From  1854  to  1866  he  was  pro- 
fessor of  theology  in  the  Biblical  Institute  at  Concord, 
N.H.  In  1855,  he  received  the  title  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  from  his  alma  mater,  and  on  the  removal  of 
the  Theological  School  to  Boston,  he  was  chosen  Pro- 
fessor of  Homiletics  and  Pastoral  Theology.  From 
1873  to  his  death  in  1879  he  was  Registrar  of  Boston 
University.  He  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Laban  Marcy  of  Greenwich,  Mass.  Children :  Charles 
H.,  born  October  12, 1845 ;  Randolph  M.,  born  Septem- 
ber, 1852,  died  young;  Frederick  M.,  born  November 
19,  1856.  He  was  three  times  elected  to  the  General 
Conference  and  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  committee 
to  revise  the  Hymn  Book  and  Ritual. 

The  character  of  this  admirable  man,  so  attractive  in 
youth,  ripened,  as  he  advanced,  into  great  beauty. 
"David  Patten  belonged  to  an  order  of  nobility,  such 
as  no  earthly  monarch  ever  created.  What  gracious 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  241 

light  was  in  his  countenance  I  Benevolence,  yes ;  dig- 
nity, yes ;  gentleness,  yes ;  but  something  more  than  all 
these.  Mr.  Alcott  has  called  it  solar  light.  Let  us  call 
it  the  light  of  the  Mount,  something  of  that  which 
radiated  from  the  face  of  Moses  when  he  came  down 
from  talking  with  God ;  something  of  that  which  trans- 
figured the  Son  of  man  when  the  disciples  desired  three 
tabernacles,  but  really  wist  not  what  they  said.  Nature 
did  much  for  our  departed  brother,  but  nature  alone 
never  put  into  any  human  face  the  peculiar  illumination 
which  shone  in  his.  As  I  was  once  walking  behind 
him,  a  perfect  stranger  stopped  me  to  inquire  who  he 
might  be.  He  excused  himself  by  saying  that  he  never 
met  so  strikingly  benign  and  noble  a  human  being 
without  an  irrepressible  desire  to  know  more  of  him. 
Had  my  questioner  encountered  one  of  the  gods 
of  the  antique  world  walking  among  men,  he  could 
hardly  have  displayed  a  more  marked  and  singular 
interest. 

"But  along  with  this  rare  dignity  and  loftiness  of 
spirit,  there  was  a  gentle  simplicity  and  heartiness  which 
rendered  it  impossible  for  us  to  feel  that  he  stood  above 
and  apart  from  us,  a  cold  and  beautiful  statue  upon  a 
lofty  pedestal.  Men  who  knew  him  forgot  that  they 
were  not  like  him.  Better  than  that,  his  genial  sympa- 
thies were  so  gently  strong  and  steady  that,  uncon- 
sciously, associates  came  to  resemble  him  more  and 
more.  Withal  there  was  ever  a  coy  sprightliness  of 
mind,  a  quaint,  quiet  humor  in  thought  and  speech 
which  often  reminded  us  of  Addison  or  Chesterfield. 
To  the  hour  of  his  last  sickness,  he  kept  so  fresh 
and  youthful  that  it  would  have  occasioned  a  shock 


242  HISTORY  OF 

in   the  youngest   of    us   to   have   called  him    Father 
Patten."* 

This  rare  human  life  faded  into  a  glow  of  golden 
sunset.  Oppressed  by  the  weight  of  disease  and 
wearied  by  the  long  day  of  toil,  he  reposed  confidingly 
as  a  child  on  the  bosom  of  infinite  love.  "I  lie  in  the 
arms  of  a  loving  Savior ;"  he  said,  "  and  He  keeps  me 
safe."  As  he  gazed  upward,  he  suddenly  asked,  "Is 
that  the  procession  of  the  angels  I  see,  coming  to  gather 
the  elect?  I  hope  I  am  one."  The  vision  was  repeated 
and  he  was  borne  upward  by  the  heavenly  convoy  in 
the  chariot  of  flame. 


*JPrea.  W.  F.  Warren. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  243 


Iperiob  11. 

5.    ©l)e  Qlbministration  of  tlje  Het).    Charles 

^i.in. 

1841-1845. 


Rev.   CHARLES    ADAMS,    D.D. 


WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  245 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE     SERVICES    AND     ASSOCIATES    OF     REV.     CHARLES 
ADAMS,  A.M.,  AT  THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 

THE   Rev.    Charles   Adams,  A.M.,  Principal  of  the 
Wesleyan  Academy,  from  1841  to  1845,  was  born 
in  Stratham,  N.H.,  in  1808. 

He  was  educated,  as  we  have  seen,  at  Newmarket, 
Wilbraham  and  at  Bowdoin  College.  To  pay  his  way 
through  academy  and  college,  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
teaching  during  the  winter.  In  those  early  days  he 
was  active  in  the  social  meetings.  He  was  invariably 
brief,  his  prayers  rarely  exceeded  in  length  the  Lord's 
prayer,  and  his  remarks  were  not  much  longer.  The 
devout  spirit  exhibited  at  Wilbraham,  was  maintained 
in  college.  Graduating,  with  high  standing,  in  1833, 
he  was  chosen  principal  of  the  Seminary  at  Newbury, 
Vt.,  where  he  presided  with  great  acceptance  and  suc- 
cess for  five  years.  He  was  constant  in  the  work  of 
teaching  and  in  endeavors  to  create  in  the  students  a 
deeper  love  of  study.  At  the  close  of  the  five  years,  he 
returned  to  the  pastoral  work  and  was  stationed  at  Lynn 
Common,  where  he  hoped  to  remain  his  full  term  of  two 
years.  But  this  was  not  so  to  be.  The  resignation  of 


246  HISTORY  OP 

David  Patten  opened  a  place  at  Wilbraham,  which  the 
trustees  insisted  on  his  filling.  Though  reluctant  to 
abandon  the  pastorate  and  engage  again  in  teaching,  he 
yielded  to  the  importunity  of  his  friends  and  accepted 
the  position  in  the  Wesleyan  Academy. 

Mr.  Adams  had  the  misfortune  to  come  in  on  the 
receding  tide.  The  numbers,  as  we  have  seen,  had 
been  steadily  though  slowly  declining  from  1837.  The 
fact  was  patent,  though  neither  the  cause  nor  the 
strength  of  the  outgoing  current  was  fully  understood 
at  the  time.  The  new  principal  had  youth,  courage 
and  vigor,  which,  it  was  hoped,  would  overcome  the 
difficulty  and  bring  back  the  former  prosperity.  The 
fall  term  was  opened  by  an  address  which  was  received 
with  much  favor  by  the  teachers  and  students.  He 
treated  the  general  aspects  of  education,  physical, 
mental  and  moral,  and  then  enlarged  upon  the  needed 
surroundings  of  the  student.  We  should  have  good 
buildings,  and  rooms  pleasantly  arranged  and  orna- 
mented. The  grounds,  too,  were  to  be  neatly  kept. 
The  new  principal  believed  in  the  supremacy  of  law ; 
and  the  law  once  on  the  statute  book  should  be 
enforced  in  a  stringent  manner.  But  the  rule  some- 
times came  in  to  trouble  its  inventor.  The  rule  forbade 
the  sexes  to  ride  or  walk  together.  A  leading  student 
was  invited  to  the  marriage  of  a  former  one.  Permis- 
sion was  asked.  But  there  was  the  ugly  rule,  which  the 
principal  felt  it  incumbent  to  violate  by  allowing  the 
favorite  to  take  his  "opposite." 

As  associates  in  the  board  of  instruction,  Mr.  Adams 
had  John  Roper,  William  H.  Buzzell,  Isaac  T.  Good- 
now,  Robert  Allyn  and  Charles  F.  Stockwell.  The  last 


THE   WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  247 

named  was  at  the  time  an  undergraduate  at  Wesleyan 
University.  He  was  an  earnest,  warm-hearted  young 
man,  who  remained  but  part  of  a  year,  graduating  in 
1843,  he  entered  the  Michigan  Conference,  but  later 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1847.  In  v 
1850  he  was  lost  on  the  voyage  to  California.  His  only 
child,  Madalan  Louisa,  who  married  C.  K.  Turner,  was 
the  first  lady  admitted  to  Michigan  University. 

Miss  Clarissa  F.  Abbott,  a  young  lady  of  many 
accomplishments,  was  chosen  to  the  position  of  precep- 
tress and  teacher  of  the  ornamental  branches.  Miss 
Nancy  H.  Goldsbury  was  teacher  of  music. 

During  his  first  year  at  Wilbraham,  the  principal 
supplied  the  village  pulpit.  The  religious  interest  dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  the  year  was  good,  resulting  in  the 
conversion  of  a  number  of  souls.  The  sermons  of  the 
preacher  contributed  to  this  result;  but  the  labors  of 
some  of  the  students,  especially  those  of  Reuben,  H. 
Loomis,  were  still  more  important.  Loomis  was  really 
the  missionary  of  the  school.  He  was  not  only  efficient 
in  the  prayer  services,  he  did  a  great  amount  of  personal 
work  among  the  students  himself  and  stirred  up  others 
to  like  exertions.  In  an  important  sense,  this  was  a 
students'  revival.  Others,  indeed,  cooperated ;  the 
main  work  was  done  by  a  corps  of  students.  To 
Loomis,  Wilbraham  was  ever  a  dear  place  —  the  best  in 
which  to  enjoy  religion  and  the  most  open  field  for 
work  in  the  Master's  service.  It  was  in  these  meetings 
that  Daniel  Steele  was  brought  into  the  light. 

In  1842,  Abraham  Avery,  one  of  the  original  trustees, 
resigned,  and  Miner  Raymond  and  Roderick  S.  Merrick 
were  elected  trustees.  The  latter,  a  brother  of  Dr. 


248  *  HISTORY  OP 

Frederick  Merrick,  was  born  in  Wilbraham,  January  2, 
1808,  and  died  there  March  28,  18-33.  He  was  a  sub- 
stantial and  valuable  citizen,  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  and  an  efficient  helper  in  the  Board  of 
Trustees.  William  Healy,  Jr.,  of  Southbridge,  who 
came  in  as  steward  in  1838,  under  Patten,  closed  this 
year.  A  good  house  and  farm  manager,  he  was  liked 
by  both  students  and  trustees.  Though  a  Congrega- 
tionalist,  he  labored  faithfully  for  the  interests  of  the 
institution.  The  students  were  sometimes  troublesome, 
but  the  steward's  eye  was  on  them.  In  one  instance, 
Henry  E.  Hempstead,  with  others,  was  involved.  The 
others  left  the  school  before  discovery.  The  principal 
required  Hempstead  to  make  confession  before  the 
church.  In  complying,  he  stood  up  and  read  an 
extended  paper  in  a  clear,  full  voice,  without  the  least 
indication  of  shame  or  penitence.  It  was  really  the 
coolest  and  most  defiant  confession  ever  heard,  but  it 
was  accepted.  Reuben  Palmer,  of  Springfield,  a  man  of 
good  heart  and  purpose,  though  not  adapted  to  fight 
with  beasts  at  Ephesus,  was  chosen  steward.  He  served 
but  one  year.  Both  he  and  his  excellent  wife  were 
highly  esteemed  at  the  institution;  but  four  salaries 
would  not  have  tempted  him  to  go  through  the  labor 
and  worry  again.  Of  Howe,  who  followed  him,  we 
have  no  knowledge. 

The  academic  year  was  again  divided  into  four, 
instead  of  three  terms.  The  great  Advent  camp  meet- 
ing held  at  Chicopee  was  attended  by  many  students. 
The  same  autumn,  a  company  walked  to  Springfield  to 
hear  John  Quincy  Adams,  in  Dr.  Osgood's  church. 
Instead  of  dipping  into  politics,  then  very  heated,  he 


WESLE7AN  ACADEMY.  249 

Spoke  on  science,  philosophy  and  religion.  The  Whig 
State  Convention  drew  another  crowd  to  Springfield  to 
hear  Rufus  Choate,  who  took  occasion  to  denounce  a 
young  anti-slavery  fanatic  of  Boston.  At  the  Academy 
his  name  had  never  been  heard  before  ;  it  has  never 
ceased  to  be  heard  since.  It  was  Charles  Sumner.  The 
speech  of  Choate  was  a  tornado  of  eloquence,  with 
thunder  and  lightning,  which  the  boys  greatly  enjoyed. 

In  1843,  the  teaching  corps  was  reenforced  by  the 
election  of  Rev.  John  H.  Twombly  to  the  department 
of  mathematics.  He  was  tall,  loosely  built  and  awk- 
ward in  his  movements,  but  an  admirable  teacher  — 
enthusiastic,  thorough  and  helpful  to  the  pupil.  He 
knew,  even  then,  how  to  deal  with  the  young  and  was, 
during  his  term,  a  power  for  good  in  the  school.  At 
the  close  of  his  work  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  he 
entered  the  pastorate,  and  has  served  many  of  our  lead- 
ing churches.  His  suggestions  and  efforts  have  been 
helpful  in  organizing  the  young  in  the  Methodist 
Church.  In  education,  he  has  taken  a  deep  and  perma- 
nent interest.  He  was  one  of  the  overseers  of  Harvard, 
was  President  of  the  State  University  of  Wisconsin,  and 
a  trustee  of  Boston  University  for  several  years. 

This  year,  also,  Miss  Emeline  B.  Jenkins,  a  graduate 
of  the  Academy,  and  an  estimable  young  lady  every 
way  qualified  for  the  position,  was  chosen  preceptress. 
During  her  two  years  of  service  in  this  place,  she 
became  greatly  endeared  to  both  students  and  citizens. 
She  was  a  model  woman.  Above  the  medium  size, 
symmetrical  in  build,  with  a  fair,  open  countenance  and 
large,  benevolent  eyes.  She  made  a  most  pleasing  im- 
pression upon  all  favored  with  her  acquaintance.  At 


250  HISTORY  Of 

their  annual  meeting,  the  trustees  also  chose  Charles 
Adams  and  Phineas  Crandall  members  of  the  board. 
Phineas  Crandall  was  born  in  Montville,  Ct.,  Septem- 
ber 13,  1793,  and  died  in  Moosup,  Ct.,  November  5, 
1878.  He  was  a  member  of  the  New  England  Confer- 
ence, filling  important  charges  and  serving  for  several 
terms  in  the  office  of  Presiding  Elder.  He  remained  a 
member  of  the  board  until  1868,  for  most  of  the  time  he 
was  too  far  from  the  institution  to  give  much  attention 
to  the  details  of  business.  He  was  retained  mostly  for 
his  wisdom  in  counsel  and  influence  in  the  Conference. 
In  1844,  Mr.  Adams  offered  his  resignation;  but,  at 
the  earnest  request  of  the  board,  he  withdrew.  At  the 
close  of  the  year,  he  determined  to  return  to  the  pastor- 
ate, and  his  resignation  was  final.  In  accepting  it,  the 
trustees  express  their  regrets  at  his  departure  and  their 
grateful  acknowledgments  for  his  'faithful  service  in 
the  school.  On  retiring  from  the  Academy,  he  be- 
came pastor  of  Bromfield  Street,  Boston,  and  in  1847 
he  was  induced  to  take  the  chair  of  Hebrew  and  Greek 
in  the  Biblical  Institute.  Two  years  later,  he  returned 
to  the  pastorate,  serving  at  Lowell  and  Cambridge.  In 
1853,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Genesee  Conference,  and 
from  1855  to  1858  he  was  in  the  Cincinnati  Conference. 
From  1858  to  1868,  he  was  President  of  the  Illinois 
Female  College,  and  thereafter  he  held  a  clerkship  in 
the  Dead  Letter  Office  in  Washington.  He  followed 
the  example  of  Dr.  Emmons  in  retiring  from  the  pulpit, 
"  while  he  had  sense  enough  to  do  so,"  observing  the 
rule  better  than  Emmons  himself,  who  thought  he  had 
sense  enough  to  preach  when  he  had  advanced  into  the 
eighties.  Adams  retired  at  sixty. 


THE  WESLEVAX  AVADEto*.  251 

The  decline  in  the  number  of  students  at  the 
Academy  continued  through  the  entire  term  of  Mr. 
Adams.  The  period  was  one  of  transition ;  the  condi- 
tions under  which  the  institution  had  been  founded 
were  disappearing ;  other  conditions,  under  which  it  was 
to  exist  in  the  future,  were  taking  their  place.  The 
decline  came,  as  we  have  seen,  from  without  rather  than 
from  within.  The  conditions,  rather  than  the  adminis- 
tration, were  working  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  school. 
The  most  popular  principal  could  not  have  reversed  the 
tendency ;  time  and  the  coming  in  of  new  forces  alone 
could  control  it. 

In  person,  Charles  Adams  was  short  and  thick-set, 
with  dark  eyes,  hair  and  beard,  cut  short.  In  later  life, 
his  beard  was  worn  long,  giving  him  a  patriarchal 
appearance.  In  manner,  he  was  active  and  energetic  ; 
never  quite  easy  and  graceful  in  social  intercourse. 
The  stiffness  of  youth  never  became  flexible  under  the 
culture  of  later  life.  By  sheer  resolution  and  persist- 
ence, he  made  the  most  possible  of  moderate  natural 
endowments,  enabling  a  man  of  second-rate  capacities 
to  do  the  work  of  a  first-rate  man. 

As  a  manager  of  schools,  he  gave  himself  thoroughly 
and  earnestly  to  the  work.  Besides  the  care  of  the 
institution,  he  gave  large  attention  to  the  details  of 
teaching,  not  only  in  the  departments  of  mental  and 
moral  science,  which  were  usually  attached  to  the  chair 
of  the  principal,  but  also  in  those  of  the  ancient  lan- 
guages, literature  and  rhetoric.  In  all  these  lines,  he 
was  a  great  drill  master,  bringing  to  his  work  energy, 
intensity,  enthusiasm,  instructing  with  the  eye,  the 
voice,  the  attitude  and  movement  of  the  body.  Even 


ZoZ  HISTORY  OF 


now,  after  the  lapse  of  forty  years,  we  can  hear  his  clear 
and  resonant  voice  ringing  out  in  the  Greek  class  as  he 
takes  them  through  the  declensions  and  conjugations 
without  once  tripping  even  in  the  minutest  details. 
No  one  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  in  his  classes 
can  ever  forget  how  he  rushed  upon  his  work,  awaken- 
ing attention  and  rousing  to  action  every  mind  in  the 
class.  Loomis  claimed  that  he  once  picked  him  up  on  a 
Greek  perfect:  it  is  the  only  instance  we  ever  heard  of. 
He  was  not  a  man  to  be  picked  up :  he  used  to  pick 
others  up.  The  thoroughness  in  his  classes  usually 
gave  those  entering  college  a  place  in  the  front  rank. 
Perhaps  no  principal  of  the  Academy  ever  did  so  much 
and  so  good  teaching  as  Charles  Adams.  He  was 
unwearied  in  his  exertions  and  interest,  not  only  in 
communicating  the  quota  of  knowledge,  but  in  awaken- 
ing an  interest  in  the  pupil  and  in  stimulating  the 
mental  and  moral  faculties,  and  leading  the  student  in 
those  courses  best  adapted  to  make  of  him  a  scholar  and 
a  citizen.  To  this  end,  also,  he  read  many  lectures  to 
the  students  on  a  great  variety  of  subjects,  adapted  to 
stimulate  the  mind  and  guide  the  life. 

Dr.  Adams  revived  the  old  theological  class  organized 
by  Dr.  Fisk.  Among  those  in  the  class  to  whom  he 
delivered  lectures  were:  Carlos  Banning,  L.  B.  Clark, 
Silas  Piper,  W.  F.  Loomis,  H.  M.  Nichols,  D.  H.  Sher- 
man, James  M.  Wooster,  and  John  F.  Sheffield.  In 
addition  to  the  intellectual  training,  they  engaged  in 
practical  religious  work.  On  each  Saturday  they  met 
with  Freeman  Nutting,  the  pastor  of  the  village  church 
to  arrange  a  plan  of  service  for  the  week.  Besides  the 
instructions  of  the  principal,  the  class  was  addressed 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  253 

from  time  to  time  by  ministers  from  abroad,  including 
Dr.  Dempster,  who  afterwards  founded  the  Biblical 
Institute  at  Concord. 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Adams  held  a  high  rank  in  his 
Conference.  On  great  occasions,  when  he  put  forth  his 
strength,  he  was  able  to  make  a  strong  impression  ;  but 
his  sermons  were  not  uniform.  In  the  course  of  a  pas- 
torate, he  preached  some  exhibiting  great  ability,  some 
also  which  were  quite  ordinary.  Many  of  his  sermons 
at  Wilbraham  were  adapted  to  the  condition  and  needs 
of  students.  Dr.  Adams,  who  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  anti-slavery  debate  of  the  time,  was  honored  with  a 
seat  in  the  General  Conferences  of  1844  and  1848.  He 
was  also  known  as  an  author.  "The  Women  of  the 
Bible,"  "  Evangelism,"  and  "  Words  which  Shook  the 
World,"  were  the  titles  of  his  leading  books. 

Conspicuous  students  under  Charles  Adams  were 
Henry  Baylies,  who  became  preacher  and  lawyer; 
Valorus  Taft,  a  leading  politician  in  Massachusetts  for 
many  years;  Oliver  Marcy;  John  W.  H.,  Hannah 
W.  and  Elizabeth  D.  Hawkins,  the  children  of  John 
Hawkins,  the  distinguished  temperance  reformer, 
Reuben  H.  Loomis,  and  Mathew  Willard. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY,  255 


perfofc  1T1K 

6.     STlje  &bminislrati0tt  of  ttye  fteo.  Robert 
21.  iH.,  at  tl)e  tDeslegan 


Rev.    ROBERT   ALLYN,   D.D. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  257 


CHAPTER  XXVni. 

THE   SERVICES  AND  ASSOCIATES   OF  THE  REV.   ROBEBT 
ALLYN,  A.  M.,  AT  THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 

ON  the  resignation  of  Charles  Adams,  Miner  Ray. 
mond  was  unanimously  elected  principal  of  the 
Wesleyan  Academy.  But,  as  he  preferred  to  remain 
in  the  pastorate,  for  which  he  possessed  eminent  gifts 
and  qualifications,  the  honor  was  declined.  To  fill  the 
position,  the  Board  selected  three  individuals,  all  emi- 
nent teachers  and  former  students  of  the  Academy, 
from  whom  the  committee  on  teachers  was  authorized 
to  secure  a  principal.  The  three  were  Osmon  C. 
Baker,  Edward  Otheman  and  Robert  Allyn.  The 
first  two  declined  the  honor,  leaving  only  the  last  on 
the  list,  who  happily  accepted  the  position  and  became 
the  sixth  principal  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at 
Wilbraham. 

Robert  Allyn,  a  fine  scholar,  an  enthusiastic  teacher, 
and  an  earnest  worker  in  the  general  field  of  education, 
was  born  in  Ledyard,  Ct.,  January  25,  1817.  He  pre- 
pared for  college  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  boarding 
for  a  part  of  the  time  with  Calvin  Brewer,  who  was 
decidedly  interested  in  the  young  student.  There  he 


258  HISTORY  OF 

made  many  pleasant  acquaintances,  among  them  Joseph, 
Emeline  and  Ellen  Dennison,  Isaac  T.  Goodnow,  Isaac 
Jennison,  Jr.,  who  became  his  room-mate  at  college, 
David  P.  Robinson,  Clark  Coolidge,  William  A.  Bra- 
man,  Richard  S.  Rust,  William  C.  Pierce,  Bradford  K. 
Pierce,  John  Holt,  Lucy  Upham,  William  Bardwell 
and  Jane  Taylor. 

Entering  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1837,  he  grad- 
uated in  1841  with  such  men  as  George  Landon,  Isaac 
A.  Savage,  L.  R.  Thayer,  D.  P.  Robinson  and  B.  K. 
Pierce.  It  is  much  to  say  that  he  stood  high  in  such  a 
class.  Though  easy  to  learn,  he  was,  through  his  entire 
course,  a  diligent  and  earnest  student.  Besides  the 
class  studies,  he  gave  much  attention,  while  in  college, 
to  English  literature.  On  leaving  college  he  returned 
to  Wilbraham  as  a  teacher  of  the  ancient  languages  and 
mathematics.  In  his  Virgil  class  were  Gilbert  Haven, 
Henry  Baylies,  R.  H.  Loomis,  Smith  Tuttle,  Oliver 
Marcy,  Samuel  F.  Beach,  Caleb  P.  Wickersham  and 
others.  Haven  was  the  rapid  reader,  who  hardly 
needed  to  open  a  book  to  learn  what  was  inside.  If  he 
had  neglected  the  lesson,  he  could  usually  pick  up 
enough  of  the  story,  as  the  recitation  proceeded,  to  pass 
muster. 

Mr.  Allyn  was  an  admirable  teacher,  familiar  with 
the  details  of  the  text-books  and  the  best  methods  of 
instruction :  he  knew  very  well  how  to  start  the  young 
mind  in  its  investigations  as  well  as  to  awaken  and 
maintain  enthusiasm  in  his  classes.  He  held  sway 
less  by  authority  than  by  love.  The  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge led  the  student  to  accompany  the  teacher  in  the 
path  opening  so  delightfully  before  him.  Those  who 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  259 

had  the  pleasure  of  sitting  in  his  classes  will  never  for- 
get his  genial  temper  or  his  helpful  words.  He  was  sol- 
icitous to  so  train  his  pupils  as  to  make  the  most  of  them. 

In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Allyn  was  tall,  loosely 
put  together,  a  trifle  awkward  in  movement,  with  light 
complexion  and  slight  touches  of  beard,  hardly  suffi- 
cient to  allow  side  whiskers.  In  conversation,  though 
without  the  utmost  ease,  he  was  ready  and  intelligent, 
opening  up  fresh  lines  in  an  interesting  way,  and  keep- 
ing in  constant  touch  with  the  other  party.  He  knew 
how  to  hear  as  well  as  to  speak. 

After  a  couple  of  years  at  Wilbraham,  he  entered  the 
pastorate  in  the  Providence  Conference,  only  to  be  called 
back,  as  we  have  seen,  at  the  end  of  the  two  years. 
The  term  at  the  Academy  opened  very  pleasantly  and 
hopefully.  The  address  of  Mr.  Allyn  was  brief  and 
pertinent,  referring  to  the  past  history  of  the  school, 
and  to  the  work  opening  before  them  for  the  current 
year.  The  school  was  buoyant  in  temper,  and  animated 
with  courage  and  hope  in  undertaking  the  tasks  before 
it.  The  board  of  instruction,  under  the  principal,  re- 
mained unchanged. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board,  Hon.  Abel  Bliss, 
one  of  the  founders  and  an  original  trustee,  resigned,  to 
the  regret  of  all  his  associates.  The  case  of  John  W. 
Hardy,  so  often  the  occasion  of  disturbance  in  the 
affairs  of  the  institution,  was  referred  to  a  committee 
which  reported :  "  That  J.  W.  Hardy  is,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  the  trustees  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  an 
improper  person  to  be  a  trustee,  and  therefore  his  con- 
nection with  this  board  of  trustees  is  hereby  dissolved." 
Thus  ends  a  painful  record  in  the  board  of  trustees. 


260  HISTORY  OF 

He  was  a  curious  specimen  of  humanity  —  a  man  of 
severe  temper,  exceptionable  methods,  a  Christian  Ish- 
maelite,  with  his  hand  against  every  man  and  every 
man's  hand  against  him.  In  so  hard  a  man,  few  could 
see  any  good.  And  yet,  those  near  him,  found  better 
qualities  to  commend.  "  Both  he  and  his  wife,"  writes 
Robert  Allyn,  "  were  really  kind.  How  kindly  he 
remembered  even  the  wayward  whom  he  had  often 
severely  reproved,  I  never  knew  till  years  after,  when, 
broken  in  health,  deprived  of  property  and  bereft  of 
wife  and  children,  he  spent  a  month  at  my  house,  and 
lived  over,  in  word,  his  history  from  Vermont  to 
Wilbraham,  and  down  into  the  vale  of  poverty  and 
despondency.  He  was  no  friend  of  mirth  or  jollity, 
however  well  intended,  and  he  was  incapable  of  appre- 
ciating a  joke.  To  mischief  of  any  kind,  even  though 
entirely  harmless,  he  was  an  enemy.  I  smile,  even  now, 
as  I  recall  an  occasion  when  he  asked  me  to  witness  a 
reproof  of  a  thoughtless,  mirth-loving  lad,  now  a  grave 
judge  in  a  great  State.  After  setting  before  the  boy 
the  gravity  of  his  offense,  and  hinting  at  an  expulsion 
or  whipping,  the  lad,  with  upturned  eyes  and  piteous 
tone,  pathetically  asked :  '  Were  you  never  a  boy, 
Father  Hardy  ? '  — '  Yes,'  said  he,  quick  as  thought, 
'and  have  repented  it  in  dust  and  ashes  ever  since.' 
It  was  the  pride  of  the  old  man  to  make  money  for  the 
school ;  and  just  how  he  was  able  to  do  it,  with  board 
and  room  at  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  week,  one 
could  never  guess  until  he  tried  the  hardtack,  leathery 
steak,  thin  soup  and  archaic  butter  on  his  table.  One 
trial  was  enough  to  solve  the  problem."  * 

•Letter  to  the  author. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY,  261 

In  place  of  these  the  board  elected  Robert  R.  Wright 
and  Amos  Binney,  the  former  an  honored  citizen  and 
business  man  at  Wilbraham,  was  born  at  the  South  Par- 
ish (now  Hampden)  January  21,  1811,  and  still  lives. 
He  was  present  at  the  dedication  of  the  old  Academy,  and 
stood  near   Dr.  Fisk  when  he  delivered   his   opening 
address.     In  1835,  Mr.  Wright  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  in  his  native  village,  and  removed  to  the  North 
Parish  in  1839,  where  he  remained  in  trade  until  1873. 
Mr.  Wright  has  been  a  leading  man  in  the  town,  and  in 
the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  he  has  long  been  a  mem- 
ber and  office-bearer.     As  a  local  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees,  he  has  been  able  to  give  much  attention  to 
the  affairs  of  the  Academy.     As  a  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment, broad  views  and  much  business  experience,  his 
plans  and  counsels  have  proved  valuable  to  the  institu- 
tion.    He  married,  August  16,  1838,  Miss  Louisa  W. 
Carpenter.     He  married  second,  August  16,  1852,  Eliza 
S.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jesse  W.  Rice.     Of  the  first  were 
two  sons  and  two  daughters. 

The  Rev.  Amos  Binney  was  born  in  Hull,  Mass., 
October  30, 1802,  and  died  in  great  peace  in  New  Haven, 
Ct.,  March  29,  1878.  Converted  at  sixteen  under 
Father  Taylor,  he  joined  the  New  England  Conference 
in  1826,  in  which  he  occupied  many  pastoral  charges. 
From  1848  to  1850  he  was  presiding  elder  of  Spring- 
field District ;  and  in  the  latter  year  he  was  transferred 
to  Lynn  District  where  he  remained  four  years.  As  a 
preacher,  he  was  plain,  simple  and  evangelical,  aiming 
rather  to  do  good  than  to  be  a  great  preacher ;  and  as  a 
pastor  he  was  diligent  and  earnest.  In  the  use  of 
money,  he  was  careful  and  judicious.  Though  not  a 


262  HISTORY  OF 

theologian  in  a  large  sense,  he  wrote  a  theological  com- 
pend  which  continues  to  be  studied  with  profit  in  many 
lands.  As  a  trustee,  he  was  for  several  years  quite 
serviceable  to  the  Academy.  He  married  Caroline 
Wilder,  of  Hingham,  in  1824,  whose  daughter  became 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Daniel  Steele.  His  second  wife  was  Miss 
Isabella  Hill,  preceptress  of  the  Academy  thi's  year. 

During  Mr.  Allyn's  first  year  there  were  in  attend- 
ance three  hundred  and  eighty-three  students  as  against 
three  hundred  and  forty-two  of  the  year  before.  The 
work  of  the  year  was  faithfully  done.  Besides  the 
routine  work,  the  principal  found  time  to  give  many 
addresses,  on  special  subjects,  to  the  students.  The  ex- 
aminations at  the  close  were  highly  creditable  to  teach- 
ers and  pupils.  At  the  annual  exhibition  the  speaking 
was  good,  and  the  valedictory  was  assigned  to  Nathaniel 
J.  Burton,  who  did  himself  and  the  occasion  ample 
justice,  in  an  oration  marked  by  justness  of  thought  and 
beauty  of  style,  and  delivered  with  an  easy  and  charm- 
ing eloquence.  William  S.  Studley  was  equally  happy 
in  giving  the  poem  of  the  occasion.  These  kindred  spirits 
entered  the  Wesleyan  University  together,  and,  in  later 
years,  fully  met  expectations  raised  at  the  Academy, 
the  one  as  the  successor  of  Dr.  Bushnell,  and  the  other 
as  an  orator  who  has  filled  the  most  conspicuous  pulpits 
in  the  Methodist  Church. 

In  1846,  Oliver  Marcy  and  Samuel  F.  Beach  were 
added  to  the  teaching  corps.  The  latter  prepared  for 
college  at  Wilbraham,  and  took  the  valedictory  at  Wes- 
leyan in  a  large  and  able  class.  He  taught  in  Alex- 
andria, Va.,  later  studied  law,  and  was  for  many  years 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank  there. 


Prof.  OLIVER    MARCY. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  263 

Oliver  Marcy  was  born  in  Leyden,  Mass.,  in  1820, 
and  made  his  first  essays  at  learning  in  the  public  school. 
In  1841  he  went  to  Wilbraham  to  prepare  for  college, 
and  in  1846  graduated  at  Wesleyan  University.  In 
college  he  stood  high,  and  graduated  with  honor  in  the 
class  with  Gilbert  Haven.  At  Wilbraham  he  long  re- 
mained as  a  faithful  and  beloved  teacher.  In  personal 
appearance  Mr.  Marcy  was  prepossessing.  Of  medium 
size,  full  habit,  with  light  complexion  and  hair  and 
an  eye  beaming  with  intelligence  and  moral  pur- 
pose, he  exhibited  a  benign  temper,  an  intelligence  and 
a  simplicity  of  manner  pleasing  to  every  one  who  knew 
him.  The  law  of  kindness  was  stamped  upon  his  coun- 
tenance, and  his  gentle  words  were  the  fitting  vehicles 
of  his  pure  and  noble  thoughts.  In  him  were  combined 
the  temper  of  the  child  and  the  intellectual  grasp  of  the 
philosopher.  On  leaving  Wilbraham,  in  1852,  he  be- 
came professor  of  natural  science  in  the  Northwestern 
University,  where  he  has  made  a  name  for  himself  in 
the  world  of  science. 

In  1847,  James  Luke,  of  East  Cambridge,  was  elected 
trustee,  in  place  of  Bartholomew  Otheman,  resigned. 
Mr.  Luke  soon  removed  to  Wilbraham,  and  built  an 
elegant  house,  later  owned  by  S.  J.  Goodenough.  He 
was  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  pacific  tastes  and  reli- 
gious convictions,  earnestly  desirous  to  contribute  some- 
thing to  the  cause  of  pure  religion  and  sound  learning. 
In  the  board  of  trustees  he  performed  much  detail 
work. 

At  the  same  time  Orange  Judd  took  the  place  of 
Isaac  T.  Goodnow,  in  the  department  of  natural 
science.  He  was  born  in  Niagara  County,  N.Y.,  July 


264  HISTORY  OF 

26,  1822,  and  graduated  at  Wesleyan  in  1847,  with 
such  men  as  E.  G.  Andrews,  Alexander  Winchell  and 
others.  As  salary,  he  received  four  hundred  dollars, 
and  the  proceeds  from  courses  of  lectures  he  delivered 
each  term.  On  leaving  the  Academy  he  went  to  Mid- 
dletown,  where  he  immortalized  himself  by  the  erection 
of  Judd  Hall,  which  he  gave  to  the  university.  He 
was  an  able  and  inspiring  teacher. 

Alexander  P.  Lane,  a  man  of  great  energy,  self- 
reliance  and  large,  possibly  venturesome,  plans,  was 
chosen  steward  in  place  of  James  Howe.  He  remained 
four  years,  with  "the  confidence  and  respect  of  the 
trustees  and  faculty." 

The  $5,000  debt  incurred  in  building  the  ladies' 
boarding  house  had  grown  to  $8,000,  and  the  trustees 
concluded  to  appeal  for  aid  to  the  Legislature,  which, 
in  aiding  nearly  all  the  other  literary  institutions  of  the 
State,  had  forgotten  Wilbraham,  which  had  educated 
more  of  the  children  of  the  people  than  any  other  one. 
Joseph  A.  Merrill,  Amos  B.  Merrill,  Amos  Binney  and 
Phineas  Crandall  were  chosen  a  committee  to  apply  to 
the  Legislature  for  funds,  and  an  enlargement  of  the 
charter.  The  committee  brought  the  matter  before  the 
Legislature,  asking  for  $25,000.  This  was  at  first 
utterly  refused;  but,  on  second  thought,  they  granted 
the  Academy  a  half  township  of  the  State's  Maine 
lands.  The  charter  was  enlarged  so  as  to  allow  thirty 
trustees. 

The  year  was  one  of  increasing  prosperity  and  en- 
couragement. The  total  attendance  was  two  hundred 
and  fifty-two.  From  the  graduating  class  Wilbur  F. 
Loomis,  John  H.  Gaylord,  Andrew  McKeown,  Lorenzo 


Rev.   WILLIAM    S.   STUDLEY,    D.D. 


Rev.    N.  J.   BURTON,    D.D. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  265 

White,  L.  S.  Slade,  E.  T.  Ailing,  Albert  H.  Brown, 
W.  F.  Humphrey,  Charles  T.  W.  Kellogg  and  Oliver 
R.  Steele  entered  the  Wesleyan  University. 

During  his  last  year,  Mr.  Allyn  introduced  the  ladies' 
graduating  course,  which  soon  became  very  popular. 
The  course  covers  four  years,  and  includes  the  leading 
branches  in  science,  languages  and  literature.  The 
members  of  the  first  class,  graduating  in  1848,  were, 
Jenette  Brewer,  Laura  L.  Button,  of  West  Springfield, 
Cordelia  M.  E.  Newhall,  of  Lynn. 

Under  the  amended  charter,  five  additional  trustees 
were  elected  in  1848.  They  were,  Samuel  Warner,  Lee 
Rice,  Edward  Othemau,  Horatio  N.  Hovey  and  Syl- 
vanus  W.  Robinson.  Lee  Rice  was  born  in  Wilbra- 
ham,  October  22,  1802,  and  died  there  March  16, 1857. 
The  trustees  make  honorable  mention  of  him,  as  also  of 
J.  L.  Lyman,  who  died  the  same  year.  As  a  resident 
member,  he  was  able  usually  to  be  present  at  meetings 
of  the  board,  and  to  give  attention  to  details  of  busi- 
ness. The  name  of  Sylvanus  W.  Robinson  was  re- 
placed by  that  of  Nath.  R.  Parkhurst,  which  appears  in 
the  catalogue,  but  he  declined  to  serve.  Mr.  Hovey  of 
East  Cambridge  was  useful  in  caring  for  the  Binney 
property  in  that  place.  At  the  close  of  the  year  the 
literary  societies  came  out  in  brilliant  form.  An  ora- 
tion was  delivered  by  N.  J.  Burton,  and  a  humorous 
poem  was  given  by  W.  S.  Studley.  The  memory  of 
both  was  still  fresh  in  the  Academy.  From  the  class 
of  this  year  William  R.  Clark,  James  E.  Mclntyre, 
George  W.  Rogers  and  Francis  A.  Loomis  entered  the 
Wesleyan  University. 

The   crowning   feature   in  the  anniversary  of   1848 


266  HISTORY  OF 

was  the  first  alumni  gathering.  The  alumni  came  from 
all  quarters,  and  as  no  building  would  accommodate 
them,  the  gathering  for  dinner  and  speaking  was  in  the 
grove  north  of  the  Academy.  The  procession,  in  the 
order  of  years,  from  the  Academy  grounds,  started  at 
ten  o'clock.  The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Hon. 
Amos  B.  Merrill,  the  president  of  the  day,  and  letters 
of  congratulation  were  read  by  the  principal.  At  the 
close  of  the  reading,  Annis  Merrill,  Esq.,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, was  introduced  as  the  orator  of  the  day.  The 
address  was  historic,  giving  a  continuous  outline  of  the 
progress  of  the  Academy  from  the  founding.  He  told 
briefly  of  the  planting  at  Newmarket ;  the  struggles 
and  failure  in  the  old  seat ;  the  removal  to  Wilbraham  ; 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  new  institution  ;  and 
the  noble  men  and  women  who  had  been  connected 
with  it.  The  oration  was  followed  by  a  humorous  poem 
by  W.  S.  Studley,  which  put  the  congregation  in  good 
humor  for  dinner.  After  dinner  brief  addresses  were 
made  by  several  individuals  who  had  been  connected 
with  the  Academy.  "It  was  a  season  of  thrilling  in- 
terest, and  all  seemed  to  catch  the  spirit  of  the  occasion, 
and  wish  the  sun  for  that  day  to  delay  his  going  down." 
Before  closing,  they  resolved  to  hold  a  similar  gather- 
ing again  at  the  end  of  five  years. 

The  numbers  in  attendance  during  Mr.  Allyn's  last 
year  ran  up  to  four  hundred  and  sixty-two  different 
students.  The  religious  interest  was  also  good,  much 
attention  being  given  to  interest  the  students  in  the 
Sunday  school.  The  appointing  of  George  W.  Rogers 
as  valedictorian  occasioned  a  flurry  among  the  students. 
On  hearing  of  it,  the  principal  uttered  a  severe  rebuke, 


THE    WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  267 

which,  instead  of  allaying,  increased  the  flame,  when 
he  at  once  sent  in  his  resignation.  If  he  had  waited  a 
little,  the  elements  would,  no  doubt,  have  come  under 
control.  But  the  die  was  cast. 

Since  leaving  Wilbraham,  Dr.  Allyn  has  been  very 
useful  in  the  educational  work  connected  with  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  immediately  became  principal 
of  the  East  Greenwich  Academy,  and  in  1854  was 
chosen  commissioner  of  the  public  schools  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  editor  of  the  Rhode  Island  School  Master. 
During  the  time,  he  served  two  terms  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  was  visitor  to  West  Point.  In  1857  he  was  pro- 
fessor of  ancient  languages  in  the  university  at  Athens, 
Ohio.  He  was  president  of  the  Wesleyan  Female 
College  in  Cincinnati  1859-1863,  and  was  president  of 
McKendree  College  from  1863  to  1874.  In  1874  he 
was  chosen  principal  of 'the  Carbondale  Normal  Uni- 
versity. The  Wesle}7an  University  gave  him  the  title 
of  D.  D.,  and  McKendree  College  that  of  L.L.  D.  From 
this  record  it  will  be  seen  how  extensive  and  important 
has  been  his  educational  work. 

William  R.  Clark  prepared  for  college  under  Robert 
Allyn,  as  also  Russell  H.  Conwell,  a  distinguished 
Baptist  preacher  of  Philadelphia.  Micah  Dyer,  Jr., 
became  a  lawyer  in  Boston,  and  Julius  L.  Strong  en- 
tered politics  and  was  elected  to  Congress.  William 
S.  Washburne  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Lippin- 
cott  &  Co.  of  Philadelphia.  Anna  C.  Warren,  later 
Mrs.  Knight,  became  well  known  as  the  preceptress  of 
the  Academy  under  Dr.  Cooke,  and  Susan  J.  Swift,  a 
brilliant  scholar  and  leader  in  the  social  circle,  has  been 
since  well  known  as  the  wife  of  Dr.  George  M.  Steele. 


SIS  TORY 


ill.   Gbe  pertot)  of 

184S-1802. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  269 


periofc  111* 

44  <S>lb  things  are  passed  aroan."  **  jBeijolb,  Jf  make 
all  tljings  HCUJ."  "CD  tl)oa  afflicteb,  tosseb  tnitl)  tempest, 
anb  not  comforted !  beliolb,  3  mill  set  tlin  stones  in  fair 
colors,  anb  Ian  tt)jj  founbations  in  sapphires." 


270  HISTORY  OF 


\ .    ®l)e  ^bministration  of  lt)e  Heo.  Miner  ftanmonb, 
MD.,  at  tl)e  tXJeelegan  ^cabemg. 

1848  —  1864, 


Rev.   MINER    RAYMOND,   D.D. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  271 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

BIOGRAPHICAL     AND      CHARACTERISTIC      NOTICES      OF 

MINER   RAYMOND    AND   HIS   CO-LABORERS    DURING 

HIS   FIRST   TWO    YEARS    AT   THE    WES- 

LEYAN  ACADEMY. 

THE  election  of  Miner  Raymond  as  Principal  of  the 
Wesleyan  Academy  marks  a  new  and  importan 
era  in  the  history  of  that  honored  institution.  Of  all 
the  principals,  Dr.  Raymond's  term  of  sixteen  years 
was  at  once  the  longest  and  most  fruitful  in  important 
results.  Under  the  touch  of  his  genius  and  the  control 
of  his  unconquerable  will,  old  things  disappeared,  and 
almost  everything  about  the  institution  became  new. 
Difficulties,  which  to  weaker  men  would  have  proved 
altogether  insuperable,  vanished  in  the  presence  of  one 
so  able  to  influence  men,  and  to  command  resources.  Of 
all  the  managers  at  that  seat  of  learning,  he  proved  to 
be  by  far  the  most  masterful.  Others  did  nobly,  he 
excelled  them  in  the  greatness  of  his  work.  He  was 
the  providential  man  of  the  period;  he  was  made  for 
such  a  crisis.  To  an  active  and  balanced  brain,  capable 
of  broad  and  wise  planning,  he  united  the  courage, 


272  HISTORY  Off 

fertility  in  expedients,  tact  in  handling  resources  and 
tenacity  of  purpose,  which  never  fail  to  take  one  on  to 
success.  Obstacles,  so  far  from  dampening  his  ardor 
in  efforts  to  rehabilitate  the  Academy,  tended  rather 
to  rouse  the  great  qualities  of  his  nature  and  to  bear 
him  on  to  greater  triumph.  If  the  institution  was 
built  by  the  care  and  efforts  of  Wilbur  Fisk,  it  was 
rebuilt  in  grander  proportions  and  lifted  to  a  higher 
plane  in  the  esteem  of  the  Methodist  and  general  pub- 
lic by  the  faith,  energy  and  persistence  of  Miner  Ray- 
mond. To  this  wise  master  builder,  the  friends  of  the 
institution  owe  an  immense  debt  of  gratitude. 

Miner  Raymond,  a  great  educator  and  leader  of  men, 
was  born  in  Rensselaerville,  N.Y.,  in  1811.  Beginning 
life  in  the  ranks  of  manual  labor,  he  determined  to 
devote  his  energies  to  the  service  of  St.  Crispin,  and 
early  became  an  adept  in  the  use  of  the  lapstone  and 
the  waxed-end.  The  public  schools  of  the  place  had 
little  to  give  and  failed  to  kindle  in  him  a  love  of 
learning.  The  event  in  his  youth  most  decisive  and 
far-reaching  in  its  influence  on  character  and  fortune 
was  his  conversion  and  union  with  the  church  in  which 
he  was  to  be  so  conspicuous  and  honored.  The  account 
of  the  great  revival  at  Wilbraham,  in  1828,  kindled 
in  him  a  desire  for  knowledge ;  it  was  the  turning 
point  in  a  great  life,  starting  him  on  a  new  course,  and 
bringing  him  into  intimate  and  helpful  relations  with 
an  educational  institution.  But  for  the  revival  he 
might,  to-day,  be  occupying  his  old  place  on  the  shoe- 
maker's bench.  The  religious  interest,  by  awakening 
in  him  nobler  aspirations  and  purposes,  became  the 
means  of  separating  him  from  his  early  occupations. 


*<®<E1W! 


<^8R55KSS] ; 


'^fcf^J' 


THE   WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  273 

and  leading  him  forth  into  a  broader  and  more 
important  field  of  service.  Leaving  all,  he  repaired  at 
once  to  Wilbraham  and  engaged,  as  best  he  could  with 
his  small  means,  in  pursuing  a  course  of  study.  Like 
many  another  student,  who  has  made  his  way  to  fame, 
he  began  in  an  humble  way,  furnishing  by  the  labor  of 
his  hands  the  means  to  carry  forward  his  studies.  The 
implements  of  his  craft,  which  he  had  learned  so  deftly 
to  use,  were  brought  into  requisition.  While  master- 
ing Greek  roots  and  problems  in  Euclid,  he  turned  an 
odd  sixpence  by  repairing  the  boots  and  shoes  of  his 
fellow  students.  The  old  shoe-bench,  on  which  he 
wrought,  still  remains  as  a  memorial  and  an  inspiration, 
reminding  us  less  of  the  physical  results  of  his  labors, 
than  of  the  intellectual  vigor,  which  even  then  grap- 
pled with  the  principles  of  science  and  theology. 
Even  in  his  earlier  studies  he  loved  to  touch  the 
deeper  things ;  mathematics,  with  exact  definitions  and 
methods  of  procedure,  delighted  him. 

Meantime,  it  was  discovered  that  he  was  endowed 
with  the  gift  of  teaching  as  well  as  the  capacity  for 
acquisition.  Whatever  subject  engaged  his  attention, 
he  mastered  thoroughly,  and  what  was  distinctly  appre- 
hended by  his  own  mind,  he  was  able  to  communicate 
clearly  to  others.  He  saw  nothing  in  a  haze ;  or,  if 
matters  so  appeared  at  first,  he  gazed  until  shadowy 
truths  appeared  in  clear  outline  and  in  proper  relations. 
In  his  mind,  truth  took  on  logical  order  and  was  given 
forth  in  demonstration.  He  delighted  in  the  exact 
sciences,  and  was  never  quite  satisfied  without  seeing 
the  definite  metes  and  bounds  of  whatever  subject  he 
considered.  His  very  first  essays  in  teaching  revealed 


274  HISTORY  OF 

the  born  schoolmaster,  destined-  to  advance  to  the  fore- 
front. As  early  as  1833,  when  his  name  appears  in  the 
catalogue  as  usher,  he  began  his  remarkable  pedagogi-c 
labors.  The  next  year  he  was  advanced  to  the  charge 
of  the  English  department,  where  he  labored  with  great 
success  and  growing  popularity  for  four  years.  Mean- 
time, in  becoming  a  teacher,  he  had  not  ceased  to  be  a 
student.  While  inducting  others  into  the  mysteries  of 
the  great  English  tongue,  he  was  delving  in  the 
deeper  mysteries  of  the  ancient  languages,  the  natural, 
mental  and  moral  sciences,  and  the  higher  mathematics, 
for  which  he  discovered  a  taste  and  aptitude.  In  1838 
he  was  advanced  to  the  chair  of  mathematics,  which  he 
filled  with  distinguished  ability  and  constantly  grow- 
ing popularity,  for  the  three  years  he  remained  as  a 
teacher  in  the  institution.  No  one  who  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  attending  his  classes  can  ever  forget  his 
clear  and  forcible  instructions.  The  principles  involved 
in  the  study  were  seized  upon,  and  traced  onward 
through  intricate  problems  as  in  lines  of  light.  No 
one  could  fail  to  see,  or  to  be  carried  with  the  demon- 
stration. But  his  superiority  as  a  teacher  was  not  sim- 
ply in  the  extent  and  accuracy  of  his  knowledge,  or 
even  in  his  ability  to  make  truth  visible  ;  it  was  rather 
in  that  higher  ability  to  develop  the  student  and  to 
create  in  him  the  capacity  to  investigate  and  master 
truth,  ft  was  not  simply  the  amount  of  knowledge  he 
communicated ;  it  was  the  way  he  impressed  himself 
upon  other  minds,  coming  under  his  instruction.  The 
man,  even  more  than  the  pedagogue,  was  behind  his 
utterances. 

But,  in  his  early  days  at  Wilbraham,  Raymond  was 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  275 

an  important  religious  as  well  as  educational  factor. 
With  him,  religion  was  the  main  consideration,  and  his 
convictions  on  the  subject  were  deep  and  strongly 
expressed.  He  spoke  with  the  demonstration  of  the 
Spirit  and  power.  If  his  prayers  and  exhortations  were 
thoughtful  and  intellectual,  they  were,  at  the  same 
time,  intense  and  fervid,  enlisting  the  emotions  of  the 
heart  as  well  as  the  accurate  formulations  of  the  brain. 
His  first  attempts  at  preaching  evinced  the  careful 
thinker.  But  while  the  principles  and  main  proposi- 
tions were  laid  down  cainily  as  well  as  clearly,  the 
preacher  was  sure  to  kindle  as  he  advanced  and  break 
into  a  tornado  in  the  peroration.  Though  gifted  with 
large  capacity  for  astute  and  accurate  thought,  he  was 
heard  gladly  by  the  people,  because  his  logic  usually 
came  to  white  heat.  To  the  religious  people  of  Wil- 
braham,  he  was,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  the  oracle. 
No  other  principal,  certainly  after  Dr.  Fisk,  obtained 
so  firm  and  enduring  a  hold,  on  the  people,  as  Miner 
Raymond.  To  this  day,  those  who  remain  of  an 
earlier  generation  and  who  heard  him  in  the  days  of  his 
vigor  and  power,  insist  on  his  unequaled  ability  as  a 
preacher.  Even  then,  as  later,  he  delighted  to  treat 
the  great  themes,  the  central  facts  and  doctrines  of  the 
gospel ;  and  he  was  alwavs  able  to  rise  with  the  impor- 
tance of  the  occasion  and  the  magnitude  of  his  subject. 
In  1838,  while  yet  engaged  in  teaching,  Miner  Ray- 
mond joined  the  New  England  Conference  and  three 
years  later  entered  upon  the  pastoral  work  in  Boston, 
serving  at  Church  Street  and  Bennett  Street.  He 
passed  in  1847  to  Westfield,  where  he  served  one  year 
and  part  of  another  with  great  acceptance.  On  the 


276  HISTORY  OF 

resignation  of  Robert  Allyn,  the  attention  of  the  trus- 
tees was  naturally  drawn  again  to  him,  as  the  one  man 
capable  of  meeting  the  exigency  at  Wilbraham.  He 
hesitated.  The  pastorate  was  the  ideal  life-work,  to 
which  he  was  attached,  and  for  which  he  had  educated 
himself.  To  turn  aside  to  teaching  was,  in  his  view, 
to  swerve  from  his  supreme  purpose.  The  trustees 
expressed  their  anxiety  and  urged  the  importance  of 
the  hour.  They  saw  no  one,  but  himself,  able  to  meet 
the  emergency.  After  mature  consideration  and  with  a 
degree  of  reluctance,  as  though  aware  of  the  burdens  to 
be  imposed  upon  him,  he  gave  his  consent  and  entered 
upon  the  work  with  the  determination  to  devote  his 
unreserved  powers  to  the  cause  he  had  consented  to  advo- 
cate and  manage.  With  his  hand  fairly  at  the  plough, 
he  never  looked  back  until  the  last  furrow  was  drawn. 

As  associates  in  the  board  of  instruction,  he  had  W. 
H.  Bussell,  Oliver  Marcy,  Orange  Judd,  Fales  H. 
Newhall  and  Oliver  S.  Howe.  Miss  Sarah  North  was 
preceptress  and  Eliza  G.  Brewer  teacher  in  music. 
Orange  Judd  remained  only  during  the  fall  term. 

Fales  H.  Newhall,  who  took  the  place  of  Orange 
Judd,  in  the  department  of  natural  science,  was  born 
in  Saugus,  Mass.,  June  19, 1827,  and  died  April  6, 1883. 
He  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1846,  with 
high  honors.  After  a  year  spent  in  teaching  at  Gou- 
verneur  Seminary,  and  another  at  Brooklyn,  Ohio,  he 
came  to  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  where  he  spent  five 
years.  He  was  in  the  pastorate  from  1853  to  1863; 
and  professor  of  English  Literature  and  Hebrew  at 
Middletown  from  1863  to  1871,  when  he  returned  to 
the  pastorate,  serving  at  Lynn  Common.  In  1873  he 


Prof.   FALES    H.   NEWHALL. 


Bishop  GILBERT    HAVEN, 
Student. 


Rev.   DANIEL   STEELE,   D.D. 
Student. 


Bishop  W.    F.  MALLALIEU, 
Student. 


THE  WESLETAtf  ACADEMY.  277 

was  elected  president  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan,  but  ill 
health  prevented  his  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the 
position. 

As  a  man  and  a  teacher,  Professor  Newhall  was 
every  way  admirable.  To  an  unusual  extent,  the  qual- 
ities of  the  man  modified  the  teacher,  enabling  the 
student  not  only  to  profit  by  his  stores  of  knowledge 
and  facile  methods  of  instruction,  but  also  to  realize  the 
elevating  influence  of  his  magnetic  personality  and  to 
bask  in  the  genial  atmosphere  of  his  presence.  The 
glow  of  his  own  mind  was  communicated  to  his  classes; 
for  he  not  only  saw,  he  felt  the  truth  to  which  he  gave 
utterance.  As  a  scholar  he  was  at  once  broad,  accurate 
and  enthusiastic.  In  the  studies  of  his  particular 
department,  he  was  a  master,  while  at  the  same  time 
giving  evidence  of  a  wider  intelligence. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  singularly  attractive.  The 
audience  felt  the  temper  of  the  man  as  well  as  the 
message  he  delivered.  In  him,  the  clear  brain  and  ele- 
gant taste  of  Plato  were  joined  to  the  heart  of  St.  John. 
His  sermons  abounded  in  evidences  of  thought.  Pure 
gold,  wrought  into  chaste  and  most  delicate  forms, 
glittered  in  his  sentences  and  charmed  those  who  heard, 
especially  the  more  cultivated  class.  To  the  young,  he 
never  failed  to  be  interesting.  In  his  mind,  familiar 
thoughts  took  fresh  form.  Never  commonplace,  or 
stereotyped,  he  studied  the  law  of  adaptation,  in  dispens- 
ing truth.  Above  all,  his  auditors  felt  the  charm  of  his 
childlike  simplicity,  the  warmth  of  his  heart,  the  per- 
suasivness  of  his  personal  magnetism.  Truth  never 
came  from  his  mind  colorless ;  it  appeared  in  the  many 
hues  of  his  own  kaleidoscopic  imagination.  The  thread 


278  tilsfotti?  OP 

of  his  discourse,  so  simple,  clear,  solid  and  elegant,  glit- 
tered in  metaphor  and  apposite  quotation.  The  orna- 
mentation, like  the  flower  work  of  a  Grecian  temple, 
rich  and  chaste,  was  never  excessive,  was  never  a  mere 
attachment;  and  instead  of  concealing,  it  gave  color, 
freshness  and  beauty  to  the  thought. 

But  whatever  this  noble  man  said  was  emphasized  by 
what  he  was.  The  man  was  invariably  greater  than 
his  utterance,  however  good  that  might  be.  In  the 
class  room,  as  in  pulpit  and  the  social  circle,  he  was 
ever  genuine,  manly,  modest,  though  self-reliant,  a  sin- 
cere friend  and  a  humble  Christian,  loyal  to  his  own 
form  of  faith,  yet  catholic  toward  other  forms.  In 
securing  the  services  of  this  model  teacher  for  a  term 
of  five  years,  the  trustees  were  fortunate  and  the  stu- 
dents, who  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  his  instruction,  were 
equally  fortunate. 

Oliver  S.  Howe,  long  the  teacher  of  English  in  the 
Academy,  was  born  in  Lynn,  September  6,  1824,  and 
died  in  the  triumphs  of  the  Christian  faith,  at  Wilbra- 
ham,  April  7,  1867.  In  1850,  he  began  to  preach,  but 
returned  to  the  Academy  in  1853  and  spent  four  more 
years  in  teaching.  Though  not  liberally  educated,  he 
was  quite  familiar  with  the  studies  in  his  department 
and  was  apt  at  teaching.  With  a  genial  warmth  of 
temperament,  an  ardent  love  of  truth  and  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  investigator,  he  drew  his  pupils  close  about 
him  and  awakened  in  them  a  love  of  study. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees,  in 
1849,  places  of  Joseph  A.  Merrill  and  George  M.  Hyde, 
deceased,  were  filled  by  the  election  of  David  P.  Robin- 
son and  William  North. 


THE   frESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  279 

David  P.  Robinson  was  born  in  Granville,  Mass., 
October  26,  1813,  and  died  in  Blandford,  December  25, 
1865.  He  studied  at  Wilbraham  and  graduated  at  the 
Wesleyan  University  in  1841.  Instead  of  entering  one 
of  the  learned  professions,  he  became  a  merchant  in 
Blandford,  and  also  engaged  in  tanning,  in  both  of 
which  he  was  successful  in  accumulating  property. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  an  ardent  Methodist.  In  building 
the  church  and  parsonage,  he  drew  largely  upon  his 
own  resources,  and  exerted  himself  personally  to  sus- 
tain public  and  social  services.  In  the  subject  of  edu- 
cation, he  was  deeply  interested.  During  the  earlier 
part  of  his  term  as  a  trustee,  extending  from  1849  to 
1865,  he  was  constant  in  his  attendance  on  the  meet- 
ings of  the  board ;  and  later,  he  attended  as  health 
permitted.  To  his  counsels,  care  and  contributions, 
the  Academy  was  not  a  little  indebted.  He  was  twice 
married.  He  married  October  26,  1841,  Orpha  M. 
Boise,  of  Blandford,  who  died  in  1843.  He  married, 
second,  September  20,  1848,  Jane  C.  Sessions,  of  South 
Wilbraham  (now  Hampden),  who  survives  him. 

William  North,  a  trustee  from  1849  to  1859,  was 
born  in  Wethersfield,  Ct.,  July  13,  1794,  and  died  in 
Lowell,  Mass.,  January  3,  1872.  He  became  a  master 
in  the  business  of  dyeing.  Studying  the  nature  and 
qualities  of  the  articles  used,  he  tested,  by  actual  experi- 
ment, the  action  and  effect  upon  both  color  and 
material ;  so  that,  in  making  dyeing  a  science,  he  neither 
became  an  unsafe  theorizer  nor  a  chance  worker.  In 
1814,  he  went  to  Gorham  and  four  years  later  to  Wol- 
cottville.  In  1829  he  removed  to  Great  Falls,  N.H.,  to 
take  charge  of  one  of  the  largest  establishments  in  tlic 


280  HISTORY  OF 

country  at  the  time.  On  the  burning  of  these  mills  in 
1834,  he  removed  to  Lowell  and  took  charge  of  the  dyeing 
in  the  Middlesex  Corporation,  then  the  largest  in  Amer- 
ica. To  this  was  soon  added  the  Bay  State  shawl  mills, 
making  a  very  large  and  responsible  business.  As  a 
citizen  of  Lowell,  he  was  highly  respected  for  practical 
intelligence,  sound  judgment  and  incorruptible  integ- 
rity. In  the  few  public  positions  he  consented  to 
occupy, — as  on  the  school  board  and  in  the  two  branches 
of  the  city  government, — he  exhibited  the  same  faith- 
fulness as  in  private  undertakings. 

He  was  an  intelligent  and  loyal  Methodist,  and  a 
conspicuous  member  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  serving  in 
almost  every  official  position  in  it.  As  a  wise  coun- 
selor and  liberal  supporter,  he  was  held  in  honor  by 
his  fellow  members ;  while,  in  the  narrower  circle  of 
his  especial  friends,  he  was  revered  for  his  purity  of 
life  and  integrity  and  loved  for  his  gentleness,  generous 
sympathies  and  wide  benevolence.  As  a  trustee,  he 
was  wise  in  counsel  and  helpful  in  the  work  of  the 
board. 

In  the  ladies'  course  were  three  graduates — Lucy 
Merrill,  Laura  E.  Baker  and  Caroline  M.  Baker,  the 
first  of  whom  was  valedictorian.  Henry  W.  Warren, 
David  H.  Sherman  and  Austin  F.  Herrick  entered  the 
Wesleyan  University.  The  number  of  students,  in 
1849,  was  five  hundred  and  thirteen.  This,  however, 
includes  four  terms — the  fall  of  '48  and  the  three 
terms  of  1849.  The  religious  interest  of  the  year  was 
excellent.  Among  the  converts  of  the  two  years  were 
Henry  W.  Warren  and  William  Augustus  Smith,  son 
of  Rev.  William  Smith,  and  later  a  member  of  Rock 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  28l 

River  Conference.  Among  the  faithful  workers  in  the 
school  were  John  H.  Mansfield,  Ira  G.  Bid  will,  W. 
M.  McLaughlin,  Susan  J.  Swift,  Esther  Shepard  and 
others.  The  year  was  closed  out  with  interest  and 
profit  to  faculty  and  students. 


282  HISTORY  OP 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE   ERECTION   OF   FISK  HALLi 

THE  first  two  or  three  years  of  Dr.  Raymond  at  Wil- 
braham  were  tentative  and  preparatory.  He  was 
surveying  the  field  and  estimating  the  needs  and 
resources  of  the  institution.  That  something  needed  to 
be  done  to  improve  the  buildings  was  certain;  just 
what  improvements  should  be  attempted  may  not  have 
been  clear  to  his  own  mind,  and  he  would  make  no 
move  in  the  matter  until  the  whole  plan  was  thought 
out. 

1850. 

During  the  year  1850,  the  affairs  of  the  institution 
flowed  on  with  an  even  and  steady  current,  affording 
few  incidents  outside  of  the  ordinary  routine  demand- 
ing notice  in  our  record.  At  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  Lee  Claflin  and  Jacob  Sleeper 
were  chosen  members  of  their  body.  The  former  will 
be  noticed  in  another  chapter. 

Hon.  Jacob  Sleeper,  the  nestorof  Boston  Methodism 
and  a  friend  and  patron  of  education,  was  born  in  New- 
castle, Me.,  November  21,  1802,  and  died  in  Boston, 


Hon.  JACOB    SLEEPER. 


THE  WESLEYAtf  ACADEMY.  283 

March  31,  1889.  In  consequence  of  the  death  of  his 
father,  he  was,  at  fourteen,  placed  under  the  care  of  his 
uncle  in  Belfast,  where,  through  the  preaching  of  Rev. 
Gersham  F.  Cox,  he  became  a  Christian  and  united 
with  the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  he  remained,  to 
the  last,  a  loyal  and  influential  member.  In  1825,  he 
went  to  Boston  for  surgical  treatment.  The  large 
opportunities  of  the  place  induced  him  to  make  it  his 
home.  Early  acquiring  wealth  in  the  clothing  trade,  he 
became  prominent  in  the  place,  serving  as  mayor  of  the 
city,  member  of  both  branches  of  the  Legislature,  and  of 
the  governor's  council  in  the  war  period  under  Andrew. 
To  religious  and  educational  work  he  devoted  much 
attention.  In  the  Bromfield  Street  Church,  to  which  he 
belonged,  he  acted  as  steward  and  trustee  and  was 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  for  more  than  a 
half  century.  For  twelve  years  he  was  one  of  the  over- 
seers of  Harvard  College,  and  one  of  the  founders  and 
original  trustees  of  Boston  University,  to  whose  funds 
he  contributed  $400,000.  He  was  also  one  of  the  cor- 
porators of  the  Wesleyan  Association,  which  publishes 
Zion's  Herald  and  owns  the  Wesleyan  Building,  where 
it  is  published,  and  in  which  is  located  the  denomina- 
tional headquarters.  He  was  a  munificent  contributor 
to  many  good  causes.  To  the  New  England  Conserva- 
tory he  gave  eleven  thousand  dollars,  and  to  the  Wes- 
leyan Home  for  orphans  five  thousand  dollars.  The 
Methodist  Historical  Society  and  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  as  also  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  were 
not  forgotten  by  him.  No  good  cause  appealed  to  him 
in  vain.  In  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  he  felt  a  deep 
interest  from  its  founding,  and  for  nearly  forty  years 


284  HISTORY  OP 

acted  as  one  of  its  trustees,  often  contributing  wise 
counsel  and  service  as  well  as  money. 

"  Mr.  Sleeper,"  to  use  the  words  of  the  Trustees  of 
Boston  University,  "  was  a  man  of  noblest  mould.  Both 
the  greatness  and  the  balance  of  his  endowments  were 
remarkable.  With  kingly  energies  of  will,  he  was  as 
gentle  as  a  child.  Though  possessed  of  exceptional 
wisdom,  he  was  ever  in  the  attitude  of  a  learner. 
Gifted  with  rare  emotional  susceptibilities,  he  was  never 
the  slave  of  passion.  An  admirable  harmony  of  great 
powers  and  resources  was  the  most  striking  of  his  per- 
sonal characteristics."* 

G.  M.  Steele  was  this  year  added  to  the  teaching 
corps,  serving  with  great  popularity  for  three  years. 
Sarah  M.'Kettell,  who  took  charge  of  the  music  depart- 
ment, remained  five  years.  John  M.  Merrick  also  came 
in  as  steward,  serving  two  years.  From  the  graduating 
class  this  year,  Henry  Baker,  Charles  L.  Howe,  William 
T.  Hill,  William  M.  McLaughlin,  Edward  B.  Otheman, 
Augustus  L.  Smith  and  Marshall  Caulkins,  entered 
Wesleyan  University. 

The  number  of  students  this  year  fell  to  three  hun- 
dred and  ninety-one.  From  the  ladies'  course,  three 
graduated;  viz.,  Laura  A.  Bishop,  Sarah  A.  Thomas 
and  Susan  J.  Swift,  the  last  being  valedictorian  and 
bearing  off  the  palm  for  talent  and  scholarship.  Miss 
Swift  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  George  M.  Steele,  D.D., 
then  a  teacher,  late  principal  of  the  Academy. 

1851. 
At  their  annual  meeting,  the  trustees  elected  four 


*  Methodist  Review,  September,  1889. 


THE  WESLEY Atf  ACADEMY.  285 

new  members:  Rufus  Chandler,  Harvey  Danks,  Lora- 
nus  Crowell  and  Charles  K.  True.  Chandler  served 
but  a  single  year  and  Danks  three  years.  Crowell  had 
a  long  term  as  will  be  noticed  later.  The  Rev.  Charles 
K.  True,  D.D.,  a  preacher  and  educator,  was  born  in 
Portland,  Me.,  August  14,  1809,  and  died  at  Cold 
Spring,  June  19, 1878.  He  fitted  for  college  at  Wilbra- 
hara  and  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1832.  The  next 
year  he  joined  the  New  England  Conference  and  in 
1835  was  principal  at  Ainenia.  Transferred  in  1836  to 
New  York,  he  returned  to  his  original  conference  in 
1838,  where  he  filled  leading  pulpits.  In  1849,  he 
became  professor  of  moral  science  and  Belle  Lettres  at 
Middletown.  From  1860,  he  preached  in  New  England 
and  New  York  Conferences.  In  1849,  he  received  from 
his  alma  mater  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

In  many  respects,  Dr.  True  was  a  remarkable  man. 
With  a  strong  and  well  disciplined  intellect,  he  had  an 
open  and  a  generous  heart.  His  mind  was  clear  and 
acute,  and  his  style  transparent  and  finished.  Meta- 
physics and  philosophy  were  his  pastime.  The  shades 
and  niceties  of  thought  delighted  him.  As  a  thinker  in 
science  and  theology,  he  was  independent.  In  the  great 
revival  at  Wilbraham,  he  was  unmoved;  but  at  Harvard, 
where  the  tendency  was  away  from  evangelical  reli- 
gion, he  was  genuinely  converted  and  devoted  himself 
to  the  ministry.  In  his  later  years,  he  did  not  hesitate 
to  preach  to  his  flock  some  of  his  new  views,  as  to  the 
future  condition  of  the  wicked.  In  the  field  of  reform, 
his  thought  and  action  were  advanced.  Rather  than 

o 

modify  his  anti-slavery  testimony,  he  left  the  New  York 
Conference  and  came  to  New  England,  where  greater 


286  HISTORY  OF 

freedom  was  enjoyed.  The  practical  sense  and  tact 
were  less  developed  in  him  than  the  theoretical  and 
scholastic,  and  the  balance  was  not  equal  to  the  great- 
ness of  his  natural  endowments. 

The  annual  examinations  indicated  good  progress  in 
the  studies  of  the  year.  In  the  ladies'  graduating 
course,  Maria  A.  Atwill  of  Lynn,  Lucinda  A.  Damon 
of  Ludlow,  Angeline  B.  King  of  Leyden,  Harriet  N. 
Sikes  of  Belchertown,  and  Martha  C.  Tilton  of  Dana, 
received  diplomas.  The  form  of  the  annual  exhibition 
was  this  year  changed.  Instead  of  the  gentlemen  and 
ladies  holding  separate  exercises,  they  united  in  a  sin- 
gle exhibition  in  which  both  sexes  took  part.  The 
salutatory,  neatly  written  and  admirably  delivered,  was 
given  by  Harriet  N.  Sikes  ;  and  the  valedictory,  an 
equally  meritorious  production,  by  John  H.  Mansfield. 
In  later  years,  these  parties  became  more  intimately 
associated  as  husband  and  wife,  and  the  union  has 
proved  so  fortunate  and  useful,  that  we  may  conclude 
the  match  originated  in  heaven. 

But  the  event  of  the  year  was  the  erection  of  Fisk 
Hall.  The  friends  of  the  institution  had  long  felt  the 
need  of  an  additional  building ;  but  they  had  seen  no  way 
to  secure  it.  The  eight  thousand  dollar  debt  had  stood 
in  their  way.  An  encouraging  feature  of  this  year  was 
the  treasurer's  report  of  a  balance  in  favor  of  the  Acad- 
emy, in  current  expenses,  of  $1,441.05.  The  committee 
appointed  on  building,  in  1849,  had  also  made  some 
progress.  The  clouded  title  to  the  East  Cambridge 
property  had  been  cleared  by  the  decision  in  favor  of 
the  trustees  by  the  Middlesex  Supreme  Judicial  Court, 
and  the  property  had  been  sold  to  Messrs.  Amory  & 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  287 

Hough  ton  for  $5,600.  Both  these  sums  would  not 
extinguish  the  eight  thousand  dollar  debt,  much  less 
provide  fur  the  new  building.  To  meet  the  remainder  of 
the  debt  and  to  secure  funds  fos  the  new  building,  books 
had  been  opened  and,  at  the  above  meeting,  Dr.  Ray- 
mond reported  subscriptions  amounting  to  $3,875, 
besides  $328  held  for  the  trustees  by  Amos  B.  Merrill, 
making  $4,203,  and,  with  the  proceeds  of  the  Cambridge 
sale,  $10,763.  In  view  of  these  facts,  the  board 
"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  meeting,  that  we 
should  proceed  to  erect  a  seminary  edifice,  and  that 
arrangements  be  forthwith  entered  upon  accordingly." 
On  motion  of  Edward  Otheman,  it  was  voted  that  "  the 
new  seminary  edifice  be  located  on  the  hill  with  the 
front  end  to  the  street,  south  and  east  of  the  Academy 
building."  On  the  passage  of  this  motion,  the  trustees 
proceeded  at  once  to  the  spot  indicated  and  set  the 
stakes,  the  northwest  corner  to  be  twenty-six  feet  east 
and  ten  feet  south  of  the  old  Academy.  The  building 
was  to  be  of  brick,  built  on  a  plan  furnished  by  Bryant, 
an  architect  of  Boston.  At  the  same  meeting,  William 
Rice,  John  M.  Merrick,  James  Luke,  Miner  Raymond 
and  R.  R.  Wright  were  chosen  a  building  committee  to 
carry  out  the  purpose  of  the  board.  The  leading  mem- 
ber was  Miner  Raymond,  who  had  the  whole  matter 
mapped  in  his  own  mind,  before  a  blow  was  struck 
or  a  vote  taken;  the  other  members  sanctioned  his 
plans.  The  only  change  in  his  plan  was  the  location  of 
Fisk  Hall  one  foot  further  north.  The  motion  for  mod- 
ification was  accepted,  as  he  found,  on  second  thought, 
reason  for  the  change. 

The  committee  proceeded  at  once  to  contract  for  the 


288  HISTORY  OF 

building  and  pushed  forward  the  work  with  the  utmost 
dispatch.  At  the  annual  meeting  they  reported  prog- 
ress, and  in  the  autumn  the  work  was  completed.  The 
new  structure,  two  stories  with  an  elevated  basement 
used  for  class  rooms,  makes  an  imposing  appearance 
and  has  been  serviceable  to  the  institution.  On  the 
first  floor  are  the  Club  and  Philo  rooms,  elegant  and  com- 
modious, and  others  used  at  first  for  the  cabinet  and 
museum  of  natural  history,  and  lateras  the  art  room  for 
the  ladies.  The  spacious  hall  above  forms  a  convenient 
and  attractive  assembly  room.  At  the  opening  in  the 
late  autumn,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Cummings,  D.D.,  then 
pastor  of  the  Hanover  Street  Church  in  Boston,  deliv- 
ered an  earnest  and  able  discourse  on  the  advantages  of 
popular  and  higher  education.  He  spoke  memoriter 
and  with  great  energy.  The  author  was  requested  to 
publish,  but  declined.  The  cost  of  this  noble  edifice 
was  ten  thousand  dollars.  Of  this  sum,  Isaac  Rich, 
David  Snow -and  Lee  Claflin  paid  five  thousand  dollars, 
or  one  half. 

1852. 

This  year  the  tide  of  prosperity  in  the  Academy 
steadily  rose.  The  new  building  not  only  added  to  the 
facilities  and  attractions,  but  served  also  as  an  ad- 
vertisement to  the  general  public. 

At  their  annual  meeting,  the  trustees  elected  two 
new  members  of  their  body,  viz.,  Pliny  Nickerson,  of 
Boston,  and  David  Smith,  of  Springfield,  both  of  whom 
performed  faithful  service  in  the  board.  Samuel  War- 
ner, a  worthy  citizen  of  Wilbraham,  and  a  practical 
farm  manager,  was  chosen  steward,  at  a  salary  of  four 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  289 

hundred  dollars.  In  a  term  of  three  years,  he  faithfully 
served  the  institution.  The  closing  examination  was 
very  satisfactory.  Of  thirty-six  classes,  eighteen  were 
placed  by  the  committee  in  the  highest  grade  of  merit. 
The  lecture  before  the  societies,  by  F.  H.  Newhall,  on 
Mental  Assimilation,  was  felicitous  and  brilliant.  From 
the  ladies'  graduating  class  three  received  diplomas; 
viz.,  Maria  Freeman  of  New  Salem,  Sarah  E.  Pinkham 
of  Grafton,  and  C.  Amelia  Sykes  of  Rome,  N.Y. 
The  annual  exhibition  was  held  for  the  first  time  in 
Fisk  Hall.  Emerson  Warner,  the  valedictorian,  en- 
tered the  Wesleyan  University.  On  the  ladies'  side, 
Maria  Freeman,  who  went  West  as  a  teacher,  engaging 
first  at  Huntington,  Ind.,  and  later  as  preceptress  at 
Fort  Wayne  College,  Ind.  In  1858  she  was  married 
to  Judge  John  Gray,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  after 
his  death  in  1865,  to  Hon.  C.  J.  Pitman,  a  native  of 
the  Granite  State,  anchored  in  the  West.  Caroline  J. 
Lane  was  chosen  preceptress,  and  served  for  two  years 
with  acceptance  of  trustees  and  students.  The  data  for 
a  more  detailed  notice  are  wanting. 

The  number  of  students  this  year  ran  up  to  four 
hundred  and  seventy-nine. 

1853. 

The  year  opened  auspiciously.  Students  came  in 
from  all  sides  and  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  school 
with  enthusiasm.  The  institution  had  been  kept  before 
the  public  by  the  new  building.  The  names  of  the 
principal  and  the  admirable  corps  of  teachers  also  were 
advertisements  for  the  Academy. 

Henry  Bridgman  Brewer  and  John  W.  Merrill  were 


290  BISTORT  OF 

added  to  the  board  of  trustees.  The  former  was  born 
in  Wilbraham,  July  7, 1813,  and  died  in  Pelham  about 
1885.  In  1833  he  accompanied  the  Lees  to  Oregon, 
as  the  farmer  of  the  mission  to  the  Indians,  where 
he  remained  ten  years.  He  remained  on  the  board 
until  1875,  though  he  gave  little  attention  to  the 
affairs  of  the  institution  after  his  removal  to  Pelham, 
in  1868. 

John  W.  Merrill,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Chester,  N.H., 
May  9,  1808.  He  studied  at  Wilbraham  and  graduated 
at  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1834,  and  three  years 
later  at  Andover  Theological  School.  He  has  been  a 
leading  educator  in  the  Methodist  Church,  first  as  pres- 
ident of  McKendree  College,  and  then  as  professor  in- 
the  Biblical  Institute  at  Concord.  He  is  at  once  a 
thorough  scholar  and  an  admirable  man,  whose  influ- 
ence has  been  constantly  favorable  to  higher  education 
in  our  church  schools.  For  not  a  few  incidents  in  this 
history  the  author  is  indebted  to  this  noble  man,  who 
has  many  tender  and  accurate  recollections  of  Wilbra- 
ham, as  his  earlier  home  and  place  of  study. 

Simeon  F.  Chester  and  Henry  W.  Warren  came  into 
the  board  of  instruction.  The  former  was  born  in 
Brooklyn,  Ohio,  June  1,  1824,  and  graduated  from  the 
Wesleyan  University  in  1852.  For  a  single  year,  he 
taught  at  Amenia,  whence  he  passed  to  Wilbraham, 
where  he  remained,  doing  excellent  service,  twelve 
years.  As  a  scholar  he  was  thorough  and  accurate,  and 
as  a  teacher  earnest  and  faithful  in  his  work,  endeavoring 
to  awaken  in  the  student  a  love  of  study,  and  to  sub- 
ject him  to  a  rigid  mental  discipline.  Among  the  many 
excellent  teachers,  who  have  served  the  institution,  he 


Rev.   Bishop    HENRY   WARREN,    D.D 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  291 

occupies  a  place  in  the  front  rank.  After  leaving  Wil- 
braham  he  served  as  book-keeper  at  Indian  Orchard, 
and  taught  in  the  city  schools  of  Springfield. 

Henry  W.  Warren  was  born  at  Williamsburg,  Mass., 
January  4,  1831.  Beginning  in  the  public  schools,  lie 
completed  his  preparation  for  college  at  Wilbraham, 
and  graduated  at  Wesleyan  University  in  1853.  As  a 
teacher,  he  stood  deservedly  high.  Young,  active,  en- 
terprising, he  was  popular  with  the  students,  diffusing 
through  his  classes  something  of  the  enthusiasm  which 
kindled  his  own  soul,  and  communicating  with  facility 
a  knowledge  of  the  studies  in  his  departments.  So  far 
from  being  confined  to  the  ancient  languages  and 
mathematics,  as  the  catalogues  indicate,  he  tried  his 
hand  at  nearly  everything,  and  found  great  delight  in 
the  natural  sciences,  especially  in  astronomy,  a  taste 
which  he  has  never  ceased  to  cultivate. 

Henry  W.  Warren  was  at  Wilbraham  but  two  years. 
Uniting  with  the  New  England  Conference,  he  was 
stationed  in  1855  at  Worcester,  then  for  several  years 
in  Boston  and  other  leading  charges.  From  Lynn  he 
was  chosen  to  the  Legislature,  and  at  Westfield,  during 
the  war  period,  he  was  very  pronounced  against  the 
Rebellion  and  in  favor  of  liberty,  a  course  which  took 
him  again  to  the  Legislature,  and  secured  his  election 
as  preacher  of  the  election  sermon.  In  1871  lie  was 
transferred  to  Philadelphia  Conference,  and  stationed 
at  Arch  Street.  In  1874  he  went  to  St.  John's  Church, 
Brooklyn,  and  also  traveled  in  Europe.  In  1877  he 
returned  to  Philadelphia,  whence  he  was  chosen  ;i 
delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of  1880,  and  by  l'..c 
latter  body  elected  a  bishop. 


292  HISTORY  OP 

Bishop  Warren  inherits  the  strong  traits  of  his 
father,  softened  and  beautified  by  the  natural  genius 
and  taste  of  his  mother,  a  most  interesting  and  at- 
tractive woman,  who  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  local 
church,  and  placed  the  whole  denomination  under 
obligation  for  the  gift  to  its  ministry  of  two  such  sons 
as  Bishop  and  President  Warren. 

Isabella  H.  Andrews,  a  former  pupil  at  the  Academy, 
became  this  year  an  instructor,  in  music  and  the  fine 
arts. 

The  ladies'  boarding  house,  which  stood  opposite  the 
principal's  house,  was  this  year  removed,  to  form  a 
south  wing  to  the  gentlemen's  boarding  house,  at  an 
expense  of  two  thousand  dollars.  So  earnestly  had  Dr. 
Raymond  pushed  the  subscriptions,  that  all  these 
improvements  were  paid  for,  the  old  debt,  so  long  a 
burden  to  the  institution,  was  extinguished,  and  a 
balance  remained  in  favor  of  the  Academy.  The  nor- 
mal income  was  now  more  than  equal  to  the  expenses. 
The  services  of  Dr.  Raymond,  in  securing  this  result, 
were  handsomely  recognized  by  the  board :  "  Resolved, 
That  the  thanks  of  this  board  be  tendered  Brother  Ray- 
mond for  his  efficient  and  untiring  efforts  in  securing 
funds,  and  in  carrying  forward  the  improvements  which 
have  been  made,  during  the  past  two  years,  about  the 
Wesleyan  Academy."  As  a  slight  but  more  tangible 
token  of  regard,  they  presented  him  with  a  purse  of  one 
hundred  dollars. 

The  number  of  students  this  year  rose  to  six  hundred 
and  nine.  The  school  was  animated  by  high  courage 
and  hope.  The  examinations  showed  good  proficiency 
in  the  pupils,  and  the  annual  exhibitions  gave  samples 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  293 

of  the  ripe  fruits  of  study.  Five  ladies  received  diplo- 
mas ;  viz.,  Mary  A.  Binney  of  Worcester,  Sarah  A. 
Cobb  of  Clinton,  Sarah  A.  Rundlett  of  Gilmanton, 
N.H.,  Ruby  Wai-field  of  Milford,  and  Mary  A.  Ward 
of  Monson.  Seven  students  entered  the  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity; viz.,  Willard  F.  Mallalieu,  Robert  F.  Crowell, 
Solomon  Chapin,  John  Peterson,  E.  W.  Virgin,  Daniel 
D.  Brewer  and  Joseph  W.  Gushing.  One  in  this  list 
has  since  become  a  bishop  in  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  another  a  judge.  Three  became  preachers  and 
two  physicians. 

Dr.  Raymond  made  an  able  address  to  the  graduat- 
ing class,  and  the  valedictory  addre?s  by  N.  Stutson 
was  "  remarkable  for  its  quiet  and  artless,  yet  resistless 
power.  His  words,  pure  emanations  from  the  heart, 
uttered  by  a  voice  tremulous  with  emotion,  softened, 
subdued  and  overwhelmed  the  audience."  The  orator 
of  the  Philo  was  S.  A.  B.  Keeney,  and  the  poet  A.  D. 
Campbell,  whose  admirable  portrait  adorns  the  hall. 
Rev.  W.  Rice  addressed  the  Ladies'  Society,  and  Gil- 
bert Haven  and  E.  Otheman  the  Club.  A  poem  was 
read  by  Rev.  T.  Willard  Lewis. 

In  connection  with  the  anniversary,  the  second  alumni 
gathering  was  held.  Rev.  Andrew  McKeown  deliv- 
ered his  lecture  on  Orators  and  Oratory,  and  W.  S. 
Studley  contributed  a  poem.  So  delightful  had  the 
occasion  proved  that  it  was  voted  to  meet  again  in 
three  years. 


294  tilSTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

LEADING  BENEFACTORS  —  ISAAC   RICH. 

AMONG  the  benefactors  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
two  hold  so  conspicuous  a  position  as  to  deserve 
somewhat  fuller  notice.  These  are  Isaac  Rich  and  Lee 
Claflin,  who,  by  their  business  judgment,  counsels  and 
courage,  as  well  as  by  their  large  contributions,  helped 
to  take  the  Academy  through  a  severe  crisis  in  its  his- 
tory. However  nobly  the  earlier  men  had  wrought, 
we  see  not  how  the  institution  could  have  been  carried 
through  its  fiery  ordeal  without  the  aid  of  these  friends 
of  education. 

Isaac  Rich,  the  founder  of  Boston  University  and 
the  munificent  patron  of  the  Wesleyan  University  and 
the  Wesleyan  Academy,  was  born  in  South  Wellfleet, 
October  21, 1801,  and  died  in  Boston  in  1872.  Early 
inured  to  toil  and  poverty,  he  enjoyed  few  educational 
opportunities ;  but  from  the  cradle  he  gave  evidence  of 
the  courage,  enterprise  and  skill  which  marked  his 
later  life.  At  fourteen  he  went  to  Boston,  by  working 
his  passage.  The  death  of  his  father  soon  after  threw 
the  support  of  the  family  largely  on  him.  That  death 
nearly  broke  his  heart ;  and  the  burdens  impending 


ISAAC    RICH,    Benefactor. 


THE   VTESlEYAN  ACADEMY. 

seemed  ready  to  crush  him.  After  the  burial,  he  cried 
the  night  through  and  at  dawn  he  heard,  as  it  were,  a 
voice :  "  Isaac  Rich,  what  do  you  here  !  Rise,  and  be 
a  man."  Brushing  aside  his  tears,  he  at  once  went 
forth  with  courage  to  the  task  of  life. 

Like  many  another  Cape  boy,  he  went  to  Boston  to 
advance  his  fortunes.  His  expectations  were  not  large. 
Bread  for  himself  and  something  for  his  widowed 
mother  was  the  most  he  expected  in  return  for  humble 
and  severe  toil.  At  first,  he  found  employment  in  an 
oyster  shop  on  City  Wharf,  where  be  performed  much 
faithful  service  for  small  compensation.  If  he  obtained 
but  little  money,  he  received  what  was  far  better,  the 
experience  on  which  he  built  his  later  fortune.  The 
lessons  of  economy,  diligence,  enterprise  and  of  knowl- 
edge in  the  business  came  home  to  him,  in  practical 
form.  In  toiling  for  another,  he  soon  saw  how  to  set 
up  for  himself  —  to  set  up  in  a  small  way.  Instead  of 
opening  a  pretentious  shop,  he  supplied  his  customers 
with  oysters  in  a  hand  basket  and  by  a  wheelbarrow. 
The  few  shillings  he  gained  in  the  first  venture  were 
used  to  increase  his  stock,  still  trundled  about  in  a 
barrow.  When  Rich  became  a  millionaire,  some  of  his 
humble  neighbors  delighted  to  recall  the  time  when  he 
brought  them  hot  oysters  in  the  morning  before  he  had 
had  time  to  take  his  own  breakfast.  He  then  occupied 
an  humble  cot  in  an  attic  without  the  luxury  of  even  a 
fire  in  the  winter.  After  a  day  of  exposure  and  hard 
toil,  he  resorted  to  that  den  to  rest  at  night. 

In  these,  as  in  later  years,  Rich  was  the  early  bird 
which  takes  the  worm.  In  the  small  hours,  he  might 
be  seen  on  his  oyster  beds  or  far  down  the  harbor  to 


296  HISTORY  or 

meet  incoming  craft  from  which  to  purchase  supplies 
for  his  morning  customers.  By  such  enterprise,  energy 
and  tact,  he  pushed  his  way.  People  liked  him,  and 
he  made  money.  The  increase  of  means  enabled  him 
to  lengthen  his  lines.  On  market  days,  his  barrow 
might  be  seen  far  out  at  Brighton  among  the  cattle 
men,  and,  as  usual,  he  was  first  on  the  ground.  An 
hour  at  dawn  he  accounted  worth  more  than  two  as  the 
day  advanced.  At  first,  he  had  the  monopoly  and  the 
chance  to  advertise  for  the  day. 

Meantime,  such  had  been  his  gains  by  the  use  of  the 
hand  barrow  that  he  was  able  to  open  a  stall  on  Consti- 
tution Wharf,  and  later,  a  more  elegant  one  in  Faneuil 
Hall  Market.  This  advance  had  not  been  made,  how- 
ever, without  struggles  and  self-denials  hard  to  be 
borne.  The  enlargement  of  his  business  was  not  the 
only  end  to  be  kept  in  view  ;  the  provision  for  his 
mother,  with  a  large  family,  was  a*  heavy  drain  on  his 
resources.  But  the  sacrifice  was  cheerfully  made. 
The  first  sixty  dollars  he  earned  appeared  to  him  a  for- 
tune, but  so  great  were  the  needs  in  the  Cape  home,  that 
he  sent  the  whole  to  his  mother.  In  later  years,  he 
used  to  say  that  he  began  business  with  no  capital 
save  a  widowed  mother  and  a  dependent  family. 
Responsibilities  and  trials  are  important  factors  in  our 
education,  often  imparting  to  character  what  the  schools 
cannot  give.  Without  these  obligations  he  might  have 
found  means  to  visit  the  theater,  the  saloon  or  the  gam- 
ing table.  His  responsibilities  weighted  him  and  gave 
to  life  a  serious  purpose.  How  much  these  home  cares 
had  to  do  with  his  future  success  no  one  can  say. 
Hitherto  the  road  had  been  steep  ;  what  he  had  gained 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  297 

had  been  gained  by  the  hardest ;  but  from  this  time  he 
moved  more  easily,  and  his  efforts  were  attended  with 
constant  success. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  was  happily  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Andrews,  an  estimable  young 
lady  of  Truro,  who,  so  far  from  proving  an  incura- 
brance  to  the  young  business  man,  became  a  source  of 
constant  inspiration  and  encouragement,  a  helpmeet 
indeed.  Like  her  husband,  she  belonged  to  the  labor- 
ing class,  and  thus  possessed  those  master  virtues  of 
economy,  industry  and  care-taking  which  enabled  her 
to  share  with  him  the  responsibilities  and  burdens  of 
life.  The  new  home,  created  by  the  union  of  these 
kindred  spirits,  was  the  scene  of  unalloyed  and  con- 
stant happiness.  If  it  was  not  very  amply  furnished, 
neither  of  them  indulged  high  expectations.  Having 
food  and  raiment  and  a  place  better  than  an  unlighted 
attic,  they  were  content.  Love  was  better  than  the 
stalled  ox  and  a  palace. 

In  lapse  of  years,  seven  children  came  to  give  joy  to 
this  home,  to  serve  as  pledges  of  mutual  affection,  the 
promise  of  a  brighter  future ;  but,  alas !  the  bright 
prospect  was  early  clouded  by  thick-coming  adversities. 
One  after  another  was  smitten  by  the  angel  of  death 
and  passed  within  the  vail.  Their  grief,  who  can  tell  ? 
At  the  departure  of  the  last  one,  a  lad  of  twelve,  the 
idol  of  the  house,  a  youth  of  great  promise  who  was 
to  bear  on  to  the  future,  the  family  name,  the  strong 
nature  of  the  father,  trained  in  so  many  adversities, 
quite  gave  way,  and  he  wept  like  a  child.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  the  open  tomb  —  the  burial  place  of  all  his 
hopes  —  what  were  wealth  and  honor  ?  In  the  depths 


298 

of  his  grief  he  exclaimed:  "  Give  me  back  my  children, 
and  I  will  gladly  go  to  the  humblest  cottage  arid  be 
satisfied  to  toil  daily  on  the  humblest  fare."  But  the 
prayer  was  unavailing.  The  loved  and  the  lost  could 
not  return.  Those  of  a  wider  public  were  to  be  his  heirs. 

Of  his  early  religious  training  we  know  only  that  he 
had  a  godly  mother,  a  woman  of  serious  mood  who 
attended  the  service  of  the  Methodists,  but  it  was  not 
until  after  his  settlement  in  Boston  that  he  gave 
reverent  attention  to  religion  and  united  with  the  Ben- 
nett Street  Church.  This  marks  an  important  turn  in 
his  life.  Henceforth  he  and  his  wife  were  at  most  of 
the  Sabbath  and  social  services,  and  for  many  years 
occupied  places  in  the  choir  at  Bennett  Street,  and  later 
at  Bro infield  Street.  As  wealth  increased,  he  became 
a  large  contributor  to  the  funds  of  the  church  as  well 
as  a  wise  and  influential  adviser  in  its  financial  under- 
iakings.  In  1841,  he  united  with  others  in  the  Odeon 
enterprise,  and  on  the  failure  of  that  he  went  to  Brom- 
field  Street,  where  he  remained  to  the  end. 

In  1847,  he  made  his  first  subscription  to  Wilbra- 
ham,  marking  the  new  direction  of  his  sympathies  and 
contributions,  influenced,  in  part,  by  his  veneration  for 
Dr.  Fisk.  The  words  of  Fisk,  as  he  passed  Rich's 
humble  stall,  fell  in  fruitful  soil.  The  liberal  subscrip- 
tion noticed  here  was  but  a  beginning.  "  If  this  is  not 
enough,  call  again :  I  will  do  what  is  required,"  were 
his  words.  The  promise  he  made  good  in  later  years. 

Meantime  his  interest  and  charities  broadened.  He 
took  the  Wesleyan  University  into  his  sympathies.  In 
1849  he  made  a  subscription  of  $100,000  to  the  Uni- 
versity. At  a  later  date,  as  he  saw  the  growing  needs 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY. 

of  the  institution,  he  made  another  similar  subscrip- 
tion. How  much  more  he  gave,  in  smaller  sums,  we 
are  unable  to  tell ;  but  it  is  true  that  his  donations  gave 
a  fresh  impulse  to  the  cause,  and  led  to  the  improve- 
ments which  have  made  the  University  more  attractive 
and  influential. 

In  1856  the  Bromfield  House  was  burned  and,  at  his 
proposal  and  under  his  inspiration,  the  site  was  pur- 
chased at  a  cost  of  $32,000,  and  on  it  the  Wesleyan 
Building  was  erected.  It  is  a  noble  monument  to  the 
faith  and  enterprise  of  the  Wesleyan  Association.  The 
crowning  act  of  Mr.  Rich's  life  was  the  founding  of  Bos- 
ton University  to  which  he  gave  the  bulk  of  his  prop- 
erty, amounting  at  the  time  of  his  death  to  two 
millions  or  more.  The  popular  estimate  ran  up  to  four 
millions,  but  estimates  are  usually  extravagant.  But 
the  smaller  estimate  makes  this  the  most  magnificent 
offering  which,  at  that  day  had  been  made  for  educa- 
tion by  any  single  man.  The  University  will  remain 
an  enduring  and  noble  monument  to  one  of  Boston's 
noblest  merchants. 

To  young  men,  especially  those  reared  under  the  de- 
pressing influence  of  extreme  poverty,  the  story  of 
Isaac  Rich  is  inspiring  and  helpful.  It  shows  that 
such  persons  need  not  despair  of  success  in  the  struggle 
of  life.  The  smallest  beginings  may  lead  to  the  largest 
accumulations.  To  fair  talents,  with  good  habits,  in- 
dustry and  devotion  to  one's  calling,  the  best  results 
are  possible.  Few  ever  began  the  work  of  life  with  so 
little  to  incourage  them,  and  to  inspire  hope ;  few,  with 
even  superior  opportunities,  have  secured  such  mag- 
nificent success.  The  boy  without  a  sixpence,  through 


300  HISTORY  OF 

toil,  self-denial  and  judicious  management,  becomes 
the  millionaire  in  a  large  city.  It  impresses  the  lessons 
of  hope,  courage,  caution  and  perseverance.  Persever- 
ancia  omnia  vincit,  is  a  sentiment  every  young  man 
should  take  to  heart,  a  device  by  which,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  he  will  be  sure  to  conquer.  The  struggle 
may  be  hard  and  long  continued,  the  outcome  will  be 
only  the  more  honorable  and  satisfactory. 

If  the  acquisition  of  large  wealth  discovers  great 
business  capacity,  its  wise  use,  for  the  elevation  and 
education  of  coming  generations,  evidences  the  posses- 
sion of  still  more  commanding  qualities  of  heart.  The 
benefactor  occupies  a  place  above  the  capitalist.  The 
one  is  swayed  by  the  motives  and  governed  by  the 
maxims  which  regulate  our  earthly  relations,  the  other 
is  touched  to  higher  issues  and  moved  to  aid  in  cany- 
ing  out  the  grand  purposes  of  Providence  in  advancing 
human  society.  The  one  is  content  to  gain  and  keep; 
the  other  is  most  concerned  to  make  such  wise  distribu- 
tion of  the  goods  committed  to  him  as  at  last  to  hear  the 
approval  of  the  Master:  "  Thou  hast  been  faithful  over 
a  few  things:  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things." 

Of  all  Boston  millionaires,  many  of  them  noble  and 
liberal  men,  not  one  has  used  his  money  more  effec- 
tively than  Isaac  Rich.  His  charities  will  touch  the 
distant  future  as  they  did  his  own  time  ;  the  genera- 
tions, as  they  rise  and  consider  the  wise  forethought  to 
meet  their  needs,  will  rise  up  to  call  him  blessed. 
Besides  the  magnificent  foundation  in  his  adopted  city, 
he  reenforced  and,  as  it  were,  reestablished  three  of 
the  most  important  institutions  of  learning  in  the 
Methodist  Church  in  New  England. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  301 

In  1857,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Cummings,  Mr.  Rich's 
former  pastor,  an  experienced  educator  and  able  execu- 
tive officer,  was,  at  the  instance  of  Isaac  Rich,  elected 
President  of  the  Wesleyan  University.  Under  his 
guidance  and  largely  through  his  efforts,  the  improve- 
ments in  the  buildings  and  status  of  the  institution 
were  made.  In  executing  these  plans  for  improvement 
he  was  implicitly  trusted  by  the  managers  of  the  uni- 
versity. Mr.  Rich  was  a  trustee  at  Middletown,  Wil- 
braham  and  Concord,  and  to  the  funds  of  each  institu- 
tion he  became  a  liberal  contributor.  To  the  Biblical 
Institute,  he  not  only  contributed  his  funds  in  the 
original  seat,  but  he  was  influential  in  the  removal  of  it 
to  Boston. 

To  the  Wesleyan  Academy  he  was  a  true  and  fast 
friend,  when  faith,  courage  and  material  resources  were 
indispensable.  The  exact  amount  of  his  contributions 
to  Wilbraham  will  be  given  in  connection  with  the 
buildings. 

The  remarkable  thing  is  that  a  man  coming  up  from 
extreme  poverty  and  without  educational  advantages 
should  become  so  deeply  interested  in  higher  education. 
Such  men  are  liable  to  be  narrow  and  to  handicap  their 
bequests  by  restrictions  which  detract  from  the  useful- 
ness of  their  foundations.  Isaac  Rich  was  largely 
influenced  by  the  teaching  and  example  of  Wilbur 
Fisk,  whom  he  revered  as  a  model  man,  and  without 
whom  Rich  himself  said  he  should  never  have  contri- 
buted to  higher  education.  Fisk  was  one  of  the  first 
to  appreciate  the  ability  and  the  sterling  worth  of  the 
young  fish  dealer,  and  used  often  to  halt  at  his  stall  to 
greet  him  with  a  word  of  good  cheer.  Rich  appreci- 


302  HISTORY  OF 

ated  these  attentions,  in  days  when  he  was  unrecog- 
nized. Even  after  he  went  to  Bromfield  Street,  he  was 
asked  to  take  a  seat  further  back  than  the  one  he  had 
hired,  as  the  family  in  the  other  part  of  the  slip  did  not 
like  to  share  a  seat  with  a  fish  dealer.  Rich  quietly 
accepted  the  situation  and  awaited  the  day  when  his 
means  would  command  the  best  positions.  In  his  last 
days  he  purchased  a  house  on  Beacon  Street.  When 
asked  by  a  friend  why  he  did  so,  his  reply  was,  that,  in 
his  youth,  when  peddling  oysters  and  when  he  was 
admitted  only  to  the  back  door,  he  had  a  desire  to  see 
what  was  inside  and  to  gratify  that  natural  curiosity  he 
purchased  the  elegant  house  in  the  midst  of  these  upper 
tens. 


NOTE.— For  many  facts  in  this  sketch  the  author  is  indebted  to  the  paper 
of  Dr.  L.  K.  Thayer  on  Isaac  Rich,  read  before  the  Methodist  Historical 
Society. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  303 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

LEADING  BENEFACTORS  —  LEE  CLAFLIN. 

IN  their  efforts  to  improve  and  enlarge  the  facilities 
for  education  in  their  own  denomination,  Lee 
Claflin  and  Isaac  Rich  were  true  yokefellows.  They 
saw  eye  to  eye  and  were  in  sympathy  with  each  other 
as  well  as  loyal  to  the  cause  in  which  both  were 
enlisted.  Both  came  from  extreme  poverty  to  large 
wealth  ;  and  with  both  the  desire  to  do  good  with  their 
means  became  a  controlling  passion.  From  the  fatal 
effects  of  their  training  in  close  economy  and  grasping 
acquisition,  they  were  saved  by  the  acceptance  of  prac- 
tical Christianity,  whose  first  principles  inculcate  self- 
denial  and  sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  Christ  and  His 
cause.  Though  favored  themselves,  in  early  life,  with 
few  educational  advantages,  each  came  to  appreciate,  in 
a  peculiar  manner,  the  importance  of  education  to  the 
rising  generation.  As  Methodists,  they  felt  a  strong 
desire  to  improve  the  facilities  in  their  own  sect. 

Lee  Claflin  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  family 
early  came  to  New  England  and  has  furnished  many 
examples  of  worthy  citizens.  Lee  was  born  in  Hopkin- 
ton,  November  19,  1791,  and  died  at  the  house  of  his 


304  HISTORY  OF 

son,  Governor  William  Claflin,  in  Boston,  November  19, 
1871.  His  early  path  was  rugged  in  the  extreme.  The 
wolf  came  to  the  very  door.  The  property  of  the  fam- 
ily was  lost;  and  then,  to  add  to  the  sorrow  of  the 
household,  the  father  died  when  the  son  was  only  five 
years  old,  leaving  the  family  quite  destitute.  The 
separation  of  the  family  was  inevitable.  The  fathers  of 
the  town  came  to  the  aid  of  the  widow,  in  providing 
for  her  children.  Lee  Claflin  was  placed  with  Aaron 
Smith,  a  small,  hard-working  farmer  of  the  town,  who 
made  long  days  and  short  commons.  In  his  agricul- 
tural creed,  the  main  article  was  work,  early  and  late 
and  hard ;  and  for  the  five  years  the  boy  remained  with 
him  he  knew  little  of  recreation  or  rest.  In  the  inces- 
sant drive  from  sun  to  sun,  the  hard-handed  farmer 
apparently  forgot  that  a  boy  could  ever  become  weary. 
Working  hard  himself,  he  thought  the  chief  end  of 
man  was  work  unceasingly.  Fortunately,  in  this 
instance,  there  was  a  constitution  capable  of  great 
endurance,  so  that  from  the  heavy  burdens  he  emerged 
unharmed. 

Until  he  was  ten  years  old,  young  Claflin  never  pos- 
sessed a  penny.  At  this  period,  Farmer  Smith,  in  a 
mood  of  unusual  generosity,  opened  the  way  for  him  to 
earn  for  himself  a  little  pocket  money.  He  allowed 
him,  during  the  spare  moments  at  morning  and  evening, 
to  break  the  turf  in  the  corners  of  the  rail  fence  around 
the  garden,  to  raise  for  himself  a  crop  of  potatoes.  To 
do  so,  the  sod  must  be  broken  and  the  bushes  and 
briars  grubbed  up,  and  the  cultivation  kept  up  through 
the  summer,  certainly  no  slight  task  for  a  ten-year  old 
boy,  with  a  heavy  spade,  and  work  all  day  besides.  A 


TEE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  305 

curious  pastime !  But  so  desirous  was  the  lad  to  own  a 
penny  that  he  kept  to  the  task  till  the  crop  was  gath- 
ered and  marketed  in  the  autumn,  for  the  magnificent 
sum  of  seventy-five  cents.  This  was  the  first  money  he 
could  ever  call  his  own.  The  value  of  it  was  measured 
by  the  cost  of  acquisition. 

About  the  same  time,  he  was  allowed  the  luxury  of  a 
holiday,  in  which  he,  in  company  with  others,  engaged 
in  a  hunt  in  the  neighboring  hills.  Of  the  abundant 
game  bagged,  his  companions  took  the  lion's  share, 
throwing  to  him,  as  his  part  of  the  spoils,  the  skin  of  a 
gray  squirrel,  with  brief  directions  how  to  cure  and 
prepare  it  for  use.  Following  the  directions,  he  tan- 
ned the  skin  and  sold  it  for  six  and  one-quarter  cents, 
cash ;  which,  added  to  the  seventy-five  cents,  realized 
for  his  potato  crop,  made  eighty-one  and  one-quarter 
cents,  all  his  available  property.  Small  as  was  the 
amount,  it  was  more  highly  prized  by  him  than  any 
hundred  thousand  he  had  forty  years  afterwards.  It 
was  his  first  money.  He  counted  it  every  flight  and 
morning.  There  was  a  deep  mystery  about  those  coins 
he  was  unable  to  solve.  Though  he  looked  into  them, 
he  could  not  see  through  them. 

But  the  squirrel  hunt  had  an  important  bearing  on 
his  fortunes  in  later  life.  It  drew  his  attention  to  the 
mysteries  of  tanning.  He  thought  of  the  subject  by 
day  and  dreamed  of  it  by  night.  With  such  visions 
floating  through  his  brain,  he  became  more  and  more 
dissatisfied  with  the  hard  routine  of  the  farm,  and  so 
one  day,  like  a  brave  boy,  he  took  his  silent  and  uncere- 
monious departure.  The  old  farmer,  at  least,  had  the 
excellent  sense  never  to  go  after  him.  The  boy  was 


306  HISTORY  OF 

left  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  which  he  did 
excellently  well.  In  the  adjoining  town  of  Framing- 
ham  was  a  large  tannery,  owned  and  operated  by  Mr. 
Warren.  To  him,  young  Claflin  made  application  and 
was  received  as  an  apprentice.  Here  he  remained 
until  he  was  twenty  or  more  years  old,  rising  from  the 
lower  forms  of  service  to  the  position  of  foreman  in  the 
establishment,  exhibiting  at  each  step  the  commanding 
traits  which  became  conspicuous  in  later  life  —  indus- 
try, energy,  perseverance,  sound  judgment  and  devotion 
to  the  duties  of  the  hour.  Such  services  were  appreci- 
ated by  Mr.  Warren,  as  seen  in  his  elevation.  For  one 
year  before  leaving,  Claflin  hired  the  establishment  and 
ran  it  himself  with  great  success. 

But  the  most  memorable  event  in  his  life  at  Framing- 
ham  was  his  conversion  and  union  with  the  church. 
Of  this  transformation,  we  have  no  detailed  account. 
His  first  impressions  were  due  to  the  teachings  of  his 
mother,  a  devout  Methodist,  who  was  anxious  to  see 
her  son  brought  into  the  same  light  and  religious 
experience  as  herself.  His  attention  was  drawn  to  the 
evangelists,  then  sweeping  like  a  flame  through  the  old 
Needham  Circuit,  embracing  a  wide  territory  around 
Framingham.  Young  Claflin  heard  them,  as  they 
touched  at  Natick,  six  miles  away,  and  joyfully 
embraced  the  new  faith,  then  everywhere  spoken 
against.  He  was  strongly  solicited  to  cast  in  his  lot  at 
ttie  Center,  where  his  employer  attended  and  which  was 
near ;  but,  then,  as  ever  after,  he  was  loyal  to  the 
church  which  had  led  him  to  a  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  joined  the  church  of  his  mother;  and, 
though  the  services  were  six  miles  away,  he  was  a  con- 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  307 

stant   and  interested   attendant  on   the    Sunday  and 
social  services,  walking  each  time  the  whole  distance. 

At  the  close  of  his  term  with  Mr.  Warren,  the  young 
tanner,  who  had  contrived  to  save  a  little  money,  set  up 
business  for  himself  at  the  North  Purchase  in  Milford. 
Of  course  he  began  in  a  small  way.  He  had  the  true 
instinct  of  a  business  man,  not  to  spread  too  much  can- 
vas to  the  breeze.  The  days  of  machinery  and  great 
corporations  were  not  yet.  The  demand  for  leather 
was  small,  and  hides  were  for  the  most  part  prepared 
in  small  quantities.  Claflin  was  following  the  usage 
of  the  time.  He  wished  to  run  business  himself,  but, 
at  the  same  time,  to  run  it  safely.  To  eke  out  his  own 
means  he  borrowed,  in  small  sums,  of  some  of  his  reli- 
gious associates,  and  they  were  scrupulously  and  in 
time  repaid. 

About  this  time,  the  Rev.  Isaac  Bonney,  a  man  of 
strong  sense  and  a  true  friend  of  the  young  tanner, 
resided  at  the  North  Purchase.  He  recognized  his 
great  business  qualities,  and  was  free  to  suggest  lines 
of  improvement.  One  of  the  things  the  preacher  saw 
the  young  man  needed  was  a  prudent  wife,  and  sug- 
gested the  name  of  Sarah  Adams,  the  daughter  of  one 
of  his  friends,  a  man  of  large  means,  in  Hopkinton. 
The  young  tanner  hesitated  to  make  proposals,  until 
the  clergyman  opened  the  way,  when  the  two  fortu- 
nately came  together  in  wedlock.  They  were  of  one 
heart  and  mind ;  diligent  in  business  and  fervent  in 
spirit.  Always  early  at  his  task,  the  young  man  toiled 
until  late  at  night,  sometimes  into  the  small  hours.  At 
the  same  time,  he  was  constant  in  his  attendance  on' 
the  sermon  and  at  the  social  services  of  the  week. 


308  HISTORY  OF 

The  little  church  at  the  Purchase  grew  to  a  consider- 
able body,  when  divisions  came.  JVhile  others  proved 
untrue,  Lee  Claflin  remained  firm  in  his  allegiance  to 
the  church  of  his  choice  and  then  used  to  go  to  Hay- 
den  Row,  in  Hopkinton,  to  attend  church. 

When  Sarah  Adams  went  to  take  charge  of  his 
house,  she  carried  in  her  hand,  as  a  marriage  gift  from 
her  father,  one  thousand  dollars.  On  visiting  them  soon 
after  Mr.  Adams  made  a  like  present  to  the  husband,  and 
on  another  day,  seeing  that  more  money  was  needed 
in  his  business,  loaned  him  an  extra  one  thousand  dollars, 
which  was  never  called  for.  These  sums,  with  what  he 
had  gained  himself,  gave  the  young  business  man  a  good 
start.  About  1825,  he  began  the  manufacture  of  boots 
and  shoes  for  sale,  satisfied  that  this  would  pay  better 
than  the  tanning.  The  difficulty  was  in  the  sale. 
There  was  no  market.  In  its  absence,  he  determined  to 
create  one.  The  small  lots  he  at  first  made  were  taken 
to  Providence,  in  boxes  and  barrels,  with  one  horse. 
They  were  disposed  of  by  sale  or  exchange  as  he  was 
able.  The  business  in  this  way  ran  on  for  several 
years,  when  he  aspired  to  something  larger. 

Though  far  distant  before  railroads,  he  opened  busi- 
ness in  St.  Louis.  Boots  and  shoes  were  taken  by  way 
of  New  Orleans  and  exchanged  for  hides,  pork,  hams 
and  lard.  The  meats  brought  to  New  England  were 
exchanged  for  labor  and  the  hides  for  leather.  So  the 
exchange  was  kept  up.  The  process  was  difficult,  but, 
in  his  hands,  the  business  became  quite  profitable. 
Each  penny  turned,  came  up  with  a  little  care  two,  and 
the  wealth  which  now  began  to  grow  rapidly,  went  on 
until  it  touched  the  million  line. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  309 

But,  his  genius  for  accumulation  was  less  remark- 
able than  his  taste  and  talent  for  wise  distribution. 
The  liberality  which  characterized  his  later  life,  had 
its  root  in  the  habits  of  earlier  life.  Giving  was  a  part 
of  his  religion.  In  his  early  life,  when  comparatively 
poor,  he  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  funds  of  the 
church.  He  gave  the  little,  while  he  had  little ;  but,  as 
riches  increased,  he  gave  more  bountifully,  and  to  a 
greater  range  of  objects,  church  expenses,  missions, 
poor  ministers,  the  slave,  temperance,  education,  and  no 
one  knows  how  many  other  objects.  So  far  from  being 
contracted  in  his  sympathies,  his  charities  were  as  wide 
as  the  needs  of  the  human  race.  The  smaller  and 
earlier  charities  were  less  conspicuous  than  those  of 
later  years. 

In  the  use  of  his  financial  resources,  he  practiced  a 
wise  economy,  not  by  withholding,  but  by  making  a 
dollar  cover  as  many  wants  as  possible.  He  enlarged 
the  area  of  the  dollar.  Probably  no  three  millions  have 
answered  sd  wide  a  purpose  as  the  $500,000  contrib- 
uted by  Lee  Claflin.  His  gifts  were  usually  stimu- 
lative. His  dollar  set  two  or  three  dollars  more  to 
rolling.  Without  carrying  any  cause  on  to  completion, 
he  did  enough  to  awaken  an  interest,  or  to  inspire 
hope  in  others,  and  then  allowed  them  to  complete  the 
work.  He  lived  in  the  building  era  in  his  own  denom- 
ination ;  but,  instead  of  building  one  grand  church  to 
bear  his  name,  he  aided  in  the  erection  of  a  hundred. 
His  hundred  or  two  of  dollars  set  loose  $500  or  $1,000. 
What  the  people  could  be  induced  to  do  for  themselves, 
he  held,  was  better  done  than  by  his  own  means.  In 
this  way,  he  secured  the  building  of  many  parsonages 


310  &ISTORY  OP 

in  his  own  conference.  At  his  own  home,  he  did  much 
toward  building  the  church  and  gave  the  parsonage 
outright. 

Liberal  in  so  many  other  directions,  he  was  devoted 
to  the  cause  of  education.  Though  he  had  been  fav- 
ored with  few  advantages  himself,  he  intended  the 
coming  generations  should  be  more  highly  favored. 
To  his  foresight  and  liberality,  our  denominational 
schools  are  not  a  little  indebted  for  their  furnishing 
and  prosperity.  To  Middletown,  in  her  time  of  need, 
he  extended  words  of  encouragement  and  liberal  con- 
tributions. Concord  and  Wilbraham  came  in  also  for 
their  share.  In  all  these  institutions,  he  was  a  trustee. 
At  Wilbraham  he  remained  in  from  1850  to  his  death, 
doing  much  faithful  work. 

In  the  great  struggle,  through  which  the  Wesleyan 
Academy  passed,  he  stood  side  by  side  with  Isaac 
Rich ;  and,  when  the  hearts  of  other  men  failed,  those 
two  noble  champions  maintained  unshaken  faith  and 
resolute  courage ;  fresh  disasters  only  rousing  them  to 
renewed  exertion,  in  rebuilding  the  waste  places. 
Besides  smaller  contributions  at  different  times,  Lee 
Claflin  gave  towards  these  reconstructions,  $12,000. 


THE  WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  311 


CHAPTER  XXXHI. 

THE  ERECTION  OP  BINNEY  HALL. 
1854. 

THE  opening  of  the  year  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
was  auspicious.  The  building  of  Fisk  Hall,  the 
rearrangement  of  the  boarding  house,  and  the  extinc- 
tion of  the  debt  gave  fresh  courage  to  the  friends  of 
the  institution  as  well  as  afforded  better  facilities  for 
boarding  and  instruction.  To  no  one  were  these  re- 
sults more  cheering  than  to  Dr.  Raymond,  who  had 
been  the  chief  mover  in  these  several  undertakings ; 
but  so  far  from  being  satisfied  with  what  had  been 
done,  he  felt  that  the  past  success  was  an  incentive  to 
move  forward  with  the  remaining  parts  of  his  pro- 
gramme. Other  buildings  were  needed  to  complete 
the  outfit  of  the  institution. 

"  The  old  Laboratory  "  was  out  of  date,  and  required 
to  be  replaced  by  a  modern  structure.  At  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  principal,  the  trustees  determined  to 
erect  a  brick  edifice,  suitable  for  a  lecture  room  and 
laboratory,  containing  also  recitation  rooms  and  rooms 
for  a  cabinet  and  the  ladies'  literary  societies.  The  old 


312  HISTORY  OF 

academy  also  required  to  be  retouched  exteriorly  and 
interiorly.  And  the  principal's  house  was  not  in  keep- 
ing with  these  improvements.  With  the  new  buildings 
there  needed  to  be  a  better  water  supply  for  ordinary 
use  and  in  case  of  fire.  To  the  work  thus  laid  out,  the 
trustees  at  once  put  their  hands  and  brought  it  to 
completion.  The  cost  of  these  improvements  amounted 
to  about  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  Of  this,  the  trustees 
furnished  $5,000.  Isaac  Rich  contributed  $5,000,  one 
for  Binney  Hall,  and  $4,000  to  pay  in  full  on  the 
principal's  house.  The  additional  $5,000  was  raised  by 
subscription,  f4,000  from  the  laity,  and  $1,000  in  small 
sums  from  the  preachers,  whose  names  are  given  in  the 
appendix  to  this  chapter.  When  the  money  had  been 
collected  on  these  subscriptions,  it  was  found  they  were 
$6,000  short  to  meet  the  bills  which  came  in  for  these 
improvements.  To  meet  the  deficiency  a  new  subscrip- 
tion was  started,  and  many  who  had  already  contrib- 
uted subscribed  again.  Isaac  Rich  contributed  another 
$1,000;  William  Rice,  $500;  L.  H.  Taylor,  $100;  John 
W.  Bliss,  $250;  David  Smith,  $150;  Thomas  P.  Rich- 
ardson, $100;  Harrison  Newhall,  $100;  Philip  Tapley, 
$100 ;  Robert  R.  Wright,  $100 ;  and  others  in  smaller 
sums  proportioned  to  their  means  and  interest,  until  the 
whole  was  provided  for. 

The  buildings  erected  by  these  funds  form  a  sub- 
stantial and  valuable  addition  to  the  property  of  the 
institution.  The  principal's  house,  a  wooden  structure 
42  x  43,  had  long  been  needed  to  replace  the  old  one, 
then  out  of  style  and  not  sufficiently  roomy  or  con- 
venient to  meet  the  needs  of  the  head  of  the  Academy. 
The  new  house,  though  not  extravagant,  is  neat,  con- 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  313 

venient  and  substantial.  Binney  Hall  has  proved  a 
very  serviceable  building.  We  can  hardly  see  now  how 
the  school  could  have  got  on  without  it.  The  dedica- 
tion of  this  new  hall  to  science  and  letters  was  an 
occasion  of  much  interest.  Professor  John  Johnston,  of 
Middletown,  an  oracle  in  the  department  of  natural 
history,  delivered  an  address  on  the  importance  and  the 
advance  of  science.  The  address  was  both  learned  and 
stimulating.  On  the  same  occasion,  the  Rev.  William 
Rice,  D.D.,  of  Springfield,  addressed  the  Ladies'  Lit- 
erary Societies  on  the  "  Higher  Education  of  Women." 

The  address,  characterized  by  justness  of  thought 
and  elegance  of  style,  was  listened  to  with  deep  inter- 
est by  the  large  audience. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board  three  new  trus- 
tees were  chosen.  They  were,  Isaac  Rich,  Thomas  P. 
Richardson  and  Harrison  Newhall. 

Thomas  P.  Richardson,  a  leading  layman  and  busi- 
ness man  of  Lynn,  was  born  in  Lynn,  July  27,  1816, 
and  died  there  November  24,  1881. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  in  his  native 
city,  completing  his  course  at  Wilbrahain  in  1837.  At 
the  Academy,  where  he  made  good  progress  in  study, 
he  was  happily  converted  to  God,  and  became  united 
with  the  church,  of  which  he  remained  a  faithful  mem- 
ber to  the  day  of  his  death.  In  the  local  society  he 
was  highly  honored  for  his  Christian  character,  wise 
counsels  and  unwearied  exertions  in  the  cause  of  the 
divine  Master.  For  forty  years,  with  brief  intervals, 
he  held  the  office,  and  performed  with  great  accepta- 
bility, the  duties  of  a  class  leader ;  for  thirty-eight 
years  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  church,  and  for  thirteen 


314  HISTORY  OF 

years  a  steward.  In  the  Sunday  school,  also,  lie  was 
an  efficient  and  intelligent  worker,  holding  for  thirteen 
years  the  office  of  superintendent.  In  a  word,  there 
was  no  part  of  the  church  work  in  which  he  was  not 
interested.  He  was  also  interested  in  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  in  the  Home  for  Old  Ladies,  and 
other  local  institutions  and  charities. 

As  a  Methodist  his  sympathies  and  aid  extended  to 
all  the  interests  and  institutions  of  the  denomination. 
In  the  extension  of  the  church  through  missions,  church 
building  and  evangelistic  efforts,  he  felt  a  deep  and 
abiding  interest.  One  of  the  projectors  and  original 
corporators  in  1860  of  the  Asbury  Grove  Association, 
he  was  for  many  years  president  of  the  board.  In  no 
work  of  the  church  was  he  more  deeply  interested  than 
in  that  of  Christian  education.  Though  living  at  a 
distance,  he  consented  to  become  a  trustee  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  Academy,  and  remained  at  the  post  of  duty  until 
the  close  of  life,  a  period  of  twenty-seven  years,  during 
one  of  which  he  was  president.  In  business,  too,  he 
was  a  successful  and  trusted  man.  His  word  was  equal 
to  his  bond;  for  his  capacity  and  integrity  he  was 
chosen  a  director  of  the  National  Bank  of  Lynn ;  and 
in  1854  he  was  chosen  mayor  of  the  city.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan  Association, 
which  publishes  Zion's  Herald.  The  trusts  committed 
to  him  were  sacredly  guarded. 

"  He  possessed  great  elements  of  character,  imparting 
to  him  rare  dignity  of  person  and  weight  of  influence. 
He  was  discreet  and  conservative  in  action,  and  firm  in 
maintaining  his  positions.  He  did  nothing  impulsively. 
If  he  seemed  to  hesitate  or  delay  on  the  threshold  of  a 


THE  WESLEYAX  ACADEMY.  315 

great  undertaking,  it  was  only  that  he  might  see  his 
way  clearly,  and  duly  gauge  the  magnitude  and  neces- 
sities of  the  project.  Having  committed  himself,  he 
never  faltered  in  the  severest  struggles,  for  he  had 
foreseen  it  all,  and  was  prepared  for  it. 

"Brother  Richardson  did  his  own  thinking  ;  hence  his 
marked  individuality,  and  his  greater  worth  in  counsel 
and  labor.  He  was  admirably  adapted  to  bear  great 
responsibilities  with  ease  and  comfort,  and  to  inspire 
the  fagging  spirits  of  co-laborers.  His  name  has  been  a 
tower  of  respect  and  confidence.  What  Thomas  Page 
Richardson  said  was  never  questioned,  so  great  was  his 
integrity,  and  so  well  considered  his  actions  and  words. 
His  memory  will  not  soon  fade  away,  but  will  be 
monumental.  Long  and  widely  will  his  example  be 
quoted,  as  an  illustration  of  Christian  dignity,  devoted- 
ness,  constancy  and  strength. 

"Brother  Richardson's  piety  was  characterized  by  in- 
telligence, uniformity,  depth  and  fortitude.  It  burned 
with  a  quiet,  steady  glow,  constantly  shining  and 
radiating,  with  no  sudden  flashing  or  feeble  flickering. 
He  lived  in  the  light.  The  entireness  of  his  consecra- 
tion did  not  appear  merely  in  strong  avowals  of  it,  as 
is  often  the  case  with  too  many,  but  in  the  fact,  mani- 
fest to  those  who  knew  him  well,  that  all  his  life  his 
plans,  labors  and  thoughts  were  constantly  focused  with 
reference  to  the  glory  of  God.  The  tides  of  his  being 
were  controlled  by  the  magnetism  of  the  cross.  He 
loved  God  and  his  church  with  all  his  heart.  He  was 
a  cheerful,  liberal  giver,  and  his  benefactions  were 
numerous  and  large. 

"Such  a  Christian  is  always  ready  to  live  or  to  die. 


316  HISTORY   OF 

lie  did  not  need  to  say  anything  in  death  to  assure  the 
hearts  of  his  weeping  friends.  His  work  had  been  well 
done  and  all  done.  It  had  been  diligently  done  each 
day  and  every  day.  He  had  only  to  lay  down  his 
numerous  well-sustained  trusts  in  a  moment,  and  go  to 
his  reward.  We  think  of  him  to-day  as  at  rest  from 
earth's  wearisome  activities,  but  still  employed  in  the 
perpetual  but  unwearying  and  joyful  activities  of  that 
higher  realm  whose  inhabitants  'serve  God  day  and 
night  in  his  temple.'  "* 

Harrison  Newhall,  son  of  Josiah  Newhall,  a  leading 
business  man  of  Lynn,  and  an  honored  member  of  the 
Common  Street  Church,  was  born,  October  18, 1819.  He 
studied  in  the  public  schools,  and  in  the  Lynn  and  the 
Bradford  Academies.  To  round  out  his  education,  he 
spent  a  couple  of  terms  in  Wilbraham  in  1836.  In 
1840  he  engaged  in  the  shoe  manufacture  with  T.  P. 
Richardson.  Two  years  later  Mr.  Richardson  withdrew, 
and  his  former  associate  continued  the  business  alone 
until  1870,  when  his  son  became  a  partner.  Since  1875 
the  business  has  been  conducted  by  his  second  son 
under  the  firm  name  of  "  Harrison  Newhall's  Son." 
Among  business  men  Mr.  Newhall  stands  high  for 
capacity  and  integrity.  For  many  years  he  carried  on 
a  large  business,  and  he  has  known  something  of  re- 
verses as  well  as  successes.  The  esteem  in  which  he 
has  been  held  by  the  public  is  indicated  by  the  posi- 
tions he  has  been  called  to  fill.  In  1849,  the  last  year 
under  the  town  government,  he  was  chosen  treasurer. 
Under  the  city  government  he  was  the  next  year  chosen 
assessor,  and  in  1858  alderman.  For  eleven  years  he 

*  Memorial  prepared  by  Rev.  D.  Dorchester,  D.D. 


HARRISON    NEWHALL. 


EMERSON    WARNER,    M.D. 


TJIE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  317 

was  a  director  of  the  National  Bank,  and  for  many 
years  a  trustee  in  both  the  Saving  Banks  of  the  city. 

In  the  First  Church,  of  which  he  is  a  member,  he  has 
been  a  constant  office  holder.  For  eleven  years  he  was 
treasurer  of  the  society,  and  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school  for  seven  years.  He  has  also  served  as 
class  leader  and  steward. 

In  whatever  concerns  the  denomination,  Mr.  New- 
hall  cherishes  a  deep  and  intelligent  interest.  Edu- 
cated himself,  in  part,  at  Wilbraham,  he  has  never 
ceased  to  be  interested  in  the  institution  which  grew 
up  under  the  patronage  of  the  New  England  Confer- 
ence, and  has  proved  a  blessing  to  such  multitudes. 
As  a  trustee  he  has  been  assiduous  in  his  attention  to 
the  duties  of  the  position,  serving  since  1858  as  secre- 
tary of  the  board.  He  married,  April  13,  1842,  Martha 
Mudge  Perkins,  daughter  of  Israel  Perkins,  long  a  con- 
spicuous member  of  the  Common  Church.  Of  this 
union  are  two  sons,  whose  good  character  and  conduct 
honor  the  faith  and  virtues  of  their  parents. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  the 
treasurer  rendered  an  encouraging  report,  showing  a 
balance  in  the  treasury  of  $835.00.  In  view  of  the  rise 
in  prices,  board  was  advanced  from  one  dollar  and  a  half 
per  week  to  one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents  per  week. 

At  the  annual  exhibition  George  W.  Mansfield 
was  salutatorian,  and  Nathaniel  Fellows  valedicto- 
rian. In  the  ladies'  course  four  received  diplomas ; 
viz.,  Maria  A.  Baldwin  of  Middletown,  Ct.,  Han- 
nah J.  Hurlbut  of  Gales  Ferry,  Ct.,  Mary  Proctor, 
Hollis,  N.H.,  and  Amanda  Watson  of  Duxbury,  Mass. 
Nathaniel  Fellows,  Nelson  Stutson  and  George  W. 


318  HISTORY  OF 

Mansfield  entered  Wesleyan  University.  One  of  these 
became  principal  of  the  Academy,  another  preaches  in 
Wilbrahum,  and  the  third  one  an  earnest  student  and 
brilliant  preacher,  died  in  his  early  ministry  deeply 
regretted  by  his  friends  and  the  church.  In  his  case, 
genius  was  restricted  and  weighted  by  frail  health. 

The  attendance  this  year  was  very  large.  The  ag- 
gregate by  terms  ran  up  to  nine  hundred.  There  were 
six  hundred  and  thirty-three  different  students. 

In  many  respects  the  year  was  one  of  marked  and 
general  interest.  The  excitement  throughout  the  coun-^ 
try  on  the  slavery  question,  soon  to  culminate  in  war, 
was  intensely  felt  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy.  In  the 
bill  organizing  the  Kansas  arid  Nebraska  Territories, 
Congress  declared  the  Missouri  Compromise  of  1820, 
restricting  slavery,  "  inoperative  and  void."  Coupled 
with  this  was  the  infamous  fugitive  slave  law,  which 
was  to  the  North  like  a  burning  brand  in  a  powder- 
house.  The  politicians  declared  the  debate  closed,  but 
so  far  from  being  closed,  it  had  just  opened.  The  re- 
sponse of  the  North  burst  into  a  sheet  of  flame.  Every 
village  and  hamlet  was  in  a  glow.  Gilbert  Haven, 
pastor  in  Wilbraham  in  1853  and  1854,  knew  well  how 
to  stir  the  embers.  Each  new  aggression  furnished 
him  a  burning  text,  on  which  he  made  some  of  those 
incisive  and  electric  utterances  which  are  preserved  in 
his  national  sermons.  Students  of  the  period  will  never 
forget  how  eager  crowds  hung  on  his  words.  If  some 
"copperhead"  gnashed  his  teeth  on  the  preacher  for 
daring  to  desecrate  the  pulpit  by  political  discussion, 
the  bulk  of  the  audience  gave  unmistakable  evidence  of 
approval, 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  319 

From  the  pulpit  the  flame  spread  to  the  pews,  and  to 
the  street.  The  atmosphere  was  electric.  On  the  nine- 
teenth of  April  a  mass  meeting  was  held  in  Fisk  Hall, 
with  an  array  of  nine  inflammable  speakers  to  denounce 
the  iniquity  of  the  Nebraska  Bill.  Each  young  orator 
uttered  his  mind  freely,  and  met  an  enthusiastic  response 
from  the  audience.  At  the  rendition  of  Anthony 
Burns,  a  month  later,  the  bell  was  tolled  long  and 
mournfully  over  our  dead  liberties.  On  the  following 
Sunday  Jonathan  D.  Bridge,  then  presiding  elder,  and 
residing  at  Wilbraham,  preached  a  sermon  founded  on 
Jer.  5 :  30,  which  roused  the  congregation  to  white  heat 
on  account  of  the  "the  wonderful  and  horrible  thing 
done  in  the  land."  On  the  next  morning  the  effigy  of 
B.  F.  Hallett,  the  commissioner  who  delivered  up 
Burns,  was  found  dangling  in  the  elm  near  Wright's 
store.  This  was  followed  by  Anson  Burlingame's  bril- 
liant lecture,  "  Then  and  Now,"  and  the  bold  and  de- 
nunciatory strains  of  that  ebony  prophetess,  Sojourner 
Truth. 

1855. 

The  year  1855  opened  brilliantly.  The  new  build- 
ings gave  eminent  satisfaction,  serving  both  for  orna- 
ment and  use.  In  their  new  headquarters  the  literary 
societies  took  on  fresh  life  and  activity.  The  several 
rooms  were  handsomely  furnished,  and  the  beginnings 
of  libraries,  to  which  large  additions  have  since  been 
made,  were  collected.  The  esprit  de  corps  of  the  school 
was  never  better.  Both  faculty  and  students  were 
animated  with  hope  and  courage.  With  the  removal 
of  the  debt  and  the  large  improvements,  the  Academy 


320  HISTORY  OF 

was  placed  on  a  better  basis  than  ever  before  in  its 
history. 

At  their  annual  meeting,  the  trustees  elected  Edward 
B.  Otheman  to  the  chair  of  mathematics,  and  Emerson 
Warner  to  that  of  the  classical  languages.  Mahala  E. 
Kempton  and  Isabella  H.  Andrews  took  the  places  of 
the  Kettells  in  the  music  department. 

Edward  B.  Otheman,  an  eminent  scholar  and  teacher 
as* well  as  preacher,  was  born  in  Boston,  October  11, 
1833,  and  died  in  Boston  in  1888. 

He  prepared  for  college  at- Wilbraham,  and  graduated 
from  the  Wesleyan  University  with  high  honor  in 
1854.  After  teaching  a  year  at  Amenia,  he  went  to 
the  Wesleyan  Academy,  where  he  remained  a  year. 
He  studied  theology  at  Andover,  and  in  1860  joined 
the  New  York  Conference,  where  he  held  leading 
charges.  In  1875  he  was  elected  professor  at  Clanin 
University,  and  in  1881  he  became  an  assistant  at  the 
mission  rooms  in  New  York.  He  was  killed  in  Corn- 
hill,  Boston,  by  a  frightened  horse. 

As  a  writer  Mr.  Otheman  was  well  known  in  the 
church.  His  articles  in  the  Methodist  Review  and  in 
McClintock  &  Strong's  Cyclopedia,  evince  the  careful 
scholar  and  ready  writer. 

Emerson  Warner,  an  earnest  student  and  thorough 
teacher,  was  born  in  New  Braintree,  Mass.,  April  30, 
1831.  After  a  thorough  preparation  at  Wilbraham,  he 
entered  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1852,  and  before 
his  graduation  went  to  Wilbraham,  where  he  kept  on 
with  his  class.  In  1863  he  received  his  M.D.  at  Har- 
vard, and  after  practising  a  year  in  Shrewsbury,  settled 
in  Worcester,  where  he  built  up  an  extensive  practice. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  321 

In  1872-3  he  made  the  tour  of  Europe,  visiting  the 
leading  medical  institutions  in  England  and  on  the 
continent. 

As  a  man  of  solid  worth,  thorough  culture  and  sound 
sense,  he  has  stood  high  with  his  friends  and  the  gen- 
eral public.  He  has  been  president  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  Worcester  District.  He  has  also  served 
efficiently  on  the  school  board  of  the  city.  In  the  local 
church  he  has  been  a  useful  and  influential  member, 
contributing  not  a  little,  by  his  influence  and  means,  to 
its  success.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1880. 

In  1856  he  was  happily  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Isabella  H.  Andrews  of  Glastonbury,  Ct.,  who  had  been 
a  student  at  the  Academy,  and  for  several  terms  the 
popular  and  successful  manager  of  the  department  of 
music. 

John  M.  Merrick,  who  now  replaced  his  neighbor, 
Samuel  Warriner,  as  steward,  was  born  May  9, 1810,  and 
died  in  1892.  He  was  reared  in  the  family  of  John  Bliss, 
to  whom  his  mother  was  united  by  a  second  marriage. 
He  was  trained  in  the  public  school  and  in  the  Wesleyan 
Academy,  his  name  appearing  in  the  first  catalogue  of 
the  institution.  In  1832  he  married  Miss  Mary  J. 
Thompson,  of  New  Haven,  and  settled  down  upon  the 
old  homestead,  a  valuable  farm  near  the  Academy,  where 
he  remained  until  his  death.  In  1826.  a  period  of  great 
religious  interest  in  the  place,  he  joined  the  Methodist 
Church,  of  which  he  remained  a  loyal  and  conspicu- 
ous member.  In  1834  he  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee selected  to  erect  a  new  church,  and  in  1870  he 
was  a  leading  member  of  the  committee  which  erected 


322  HISTORY  OF 

the  present  stone  church.  In  both  enterprises  his  cour- 
age, capacity  and  sound  judgment  were  of  great  service. 
Elected  a  trustee  in  1835,  he  has  served  the  society 
with  great  acceptance  ever  since.  In  1836  he  was 
elected  a  trustee  of  the  Academy,  a  position  he  held 
for  more  than  fifty  years,  with  great  honor  to  himself 
and  usefulness  to  the  institution.  From  the  first  he 
was  a  working  member,  serving  on  committees  which  re- 
quired much  time  and  careful  attention.  In  every 
important  transaction  his  associates  placed  great  reli- 
ance on  his  foresight  and  sound  judgment.  In  the 
honors  and  offices  of  the  board  he  had  his  full 
share.  From  1836,  the  date  of  his  election  to  the 
board,  he  served  as  secretary  until  1842,  and  again  from 
1853  to  1858,  keeping  a  neat  and  business-like  record 
of  the  doings  of  the  corporation.  From  1842  to  1861, 
he  held  the  responsible  position  of  treasurer,  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  his  associates.  In  1850  he  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  steward,  serving  for  two  years, 
without  removing  to  the  boarding  house.  In  1855  he 
was  induced  to  try  his  hand  again  for  six  years.  In 
his  knowledge  of  the  affairs  and  needs  of  the  institu- 
tion, he  had  an  advantage  over  every  other  steward. 

In  the  town,  as  well  as  the  church  and  school,  he  was 
highly  esteemed.  He  was  town  clerk  for  two  terms; 
viz.,  1840-2  and  1863-5 ;  for  thirty  years  he  was 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  all  these  official  positions,  as 
in  the  walks  of  private  life,  he  showed  himself  a  man  of 
superb  ability,  broad  views,  generous  sympathies  and 
incorruptible  integrity.  In  such  a  friend  and  helper 
the  Academy  was  fortunate.  He  performed  services 
money  could  not  buy. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  323 

In  the  ladies'  course  this  year,  Mary  J.  Kenney  of 
Worcester,  and  Kate  L.  Peck  of  Lynn,  received  diplo- 
mas. We  are  unable  to  find  that  any  entered  the 
Wesleyan  University  from  the  classical  course. 

APPENDIX. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  subscriptions  of  the 
preachers  for  Binney  Hall,  amounting  to  $1,000  :  — 

Z.  A.  Mudge -'V       .  $25.00 

W.  R.  Bagnall 25.00 

C.  S.  Macreading -    :;    ;    .  15.00 

William  Rice •    '.        .  50.00 

Ichabod  Marcy !;  5.00 

F.  H.  Newhall 50.00 

T.  Willard  Lewis :- .  5.00 

N.  J.  Merrill '  5.00 

W.  B.  Olds 5.00 

D.  Sherman  .        .        ...        .•.'..  20.00 

Pliny  Wood -     .        .'      .    '  5.00 

William  Gordon 10.00 

W.  A.  Braman .  25.00 

W.  A.  Clapp  .        .        .        ...        .        .        .  5.00 

C.  L.  McCurdy :.,.._  10.oo 

Windsor  Ward -.';-•  5.00 

David  Todd -•:•'•  5.00 

Charles  Noble -.-10.00 

R.  W.  Allen •  10.00 

J.  L.  Estey i-  5.00 

John  Moore 5.00 

Simon  Putnam 5.00 

J.  D.  Bridge 50.00 

,M.  Dwight 10.00 

W.  H.  Hatch       .        .        ....        .        .  10.00 

G.  Sutherland 10.00 

J.  L.  Hanaford - .  10.00 

A.  F.  Herrick ;.  5.00 

C.L.Eastman    .                                          .        .    " v:  5.00 


324 


HISTORY  OF 


G.  E.  Chapman 
Willard  Smith     . 
N.  S.  Spaulding 
L.  Fish 

M.  P.  Webster    . 
Gilbert  Haven     . 
A.  S.  Flagg 
J.  Cadwell 
John  S.  Day 
Isaac  Smith 
Henry  V.  Degen 
Daniel  Richards 
Jonas  M.  Clark  . 
D.  K.  Bannister 
J.  W.  Dadmun  . 
George  Dunbar  . 
Chester  Field 
Mark  Trafton 
P.  Wallingford    . 
W.  F.  Lacount    . 
R.  Gage 
D.  Steele     . 
I.  J.  P.  Collyer  . 
H.  P.  Andrews  . 
David  H.  Sherman 
L.  Boyden 
J.  Augustus  Adams 
Thomas  H.  Mudge 
A.  D.  Sargent     . 
J.  W.  Lewis 
L.  R.  Thayer      . 
J.  T.  Pettee 
F.  Fisk 
John  Rickets 
L.  D.  Barrows     . 
Joseph  Dennison 
John  W.  Perkins 
James  Porter 
Daniel  Atkins 
A.  F.  Bailey 
Charles  Baker     . 


5.00 

5.00 

5.00 

5.00 

10.00 

75.00 

25.00 

5.00 

5.00 

25.00 

25.00 

5.00 

5.00 

15.00 

10.00 

10.00 

25.00 

20.00 

5.00 

5.00 

5.00 

10.00 

20.00 

10.00 

5.00 

10.00 

50.00 

25.00 

20.00 

10.00 

30.00 

10.00 

5.00 

5.00 

20.00 

10.00 

20.00 

5.00 

5.00 

10.00 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  325 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

RAVAGES    OF  THE    FIRE-FIEND  —  BURNING    OF   THE  OLD 
BOARDING    HOUSE. 


1856. 

IN  the  opening  of  the  year  1856,  the  skies,  which  had 
been  brightening  into  a  perfect  day  over  the  Wes- 
le}ran  Academy,  were  suddenly  darkened  by  thick-com- 
ing calamities,  which  threatened  the  prosperity,  if  not 
the  very  existence  of  the  institution.  Adversity  came 
in  a  new  form.  They  had  known  something  of  struggle 
from  the  narrow  means.  The  managers  now  found 
nature  and  providence,  the  very  elements,  arrayed 
against  them.  What  had  never  hitherto  happened  in 
the  history  of  the  Academy  was  to  happen  this  year  in 
the  loosing  and  ravages  of  the  fire-fiend,  to  destroy  in 
an  hour,  what  had  been  the  work  of  years. 

On  the  fourth  of  January,  when  all  were  full  of  hope 
and  a  high-tide  of  prosperity  was  setting  towards  the 
school,  the  boarding  house  so  recently  rearranged  and 
fitted  for, the  accommodation  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
students,  took  fire,  and  in  a  single  hour  was  reduced  to 


326  HISTORY  OF 

ashes.  The  furniture  and  a  large  stock  of  provisions 
were  nearly  all  consumed.  The  fire  broke  out  at  about 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  nearly  all  the  students 
were  absent  at  recitation  ;  and,  as  the  fire  originated  in 
a  room  in  the  upper  story,  it  was  not  discovered  until 
well  under  way.  The  writer,  then  residing  on  Faculty 
Street,  saw  the  puff  of  flame  from  the  roof  before  any 
alarm  had  been  given,  but  before  he  could  reach  the 
premises,  the  fire  had  been  discovered  by  those  within. 
The  alarm  was  instantly  extended  to  the  Academy  and 
through  the  village  ;  the  bells  rang  it  out,  and  students 
and  citizens  rushed  to  the  scene.  But  as  the  fire  origi- 
nated so  far  up  and  as  the  flames  already  burst  in  broad 
sheets  from  the  roof,  little  could  be  done  to  arrest  their 
progress.  The  fire  was  out  of  everybody's  reach,  and, 
even  if  it  had  been  more  accessible,  there  was  no  fire 
department  at  all  adequate  to  deal  with  it.  Engines 
came  from  Springfield,  but,  long  before  they  reached 
the  spot,  the  building  was  a  heap  of  ruins.  The  crowds 
of  people  present  could  do  little  more  than  look  on  and 
watch  the  progress  of  the  flames  as  they  reached  down- 
ward, enveloping  the  main  building  and  spreading  with 
redoubled  fury  to  the  wings. 

Though  access  to  the  upper  story  was  not  easy  when 
the  alarm  was  given,  G.  W.  Clement  took  up  a  couple 
of  pails  of  water,  and  for  a  time  prevented  the  flame 
from  consuming  the  attic  scuttle  and  thus  blocking  the 
stairway.  Meantime  L.  A.  Bosworth  improved  the 
opportunity  to  burst  open  many  of  the  doors  and  to 
thrust  out  at  the  windows  much  bedding  and  furniture. 
Only  a  single  man  followed  him  in  this  adventure,  and 
he,  after  casting  several  washbowls  and  pitchers  out  the 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  327 

windows,  took  a  box-stove  in  his  arms,  and  bearing  it 
safely  down,  deposited  it  by  the  roadside.  In  such  a 
time  of  alarm  and  confusion,  men  lost  their  heads  and 
found  themselves  doing  the  most  curious  things.  One 
of  the  professors  had  lectured  to  his  class  in  mental 
philosophy  on  the  importance  of  self-control  and  cool- 
ness in  emergencies,  a  quality  he  thought  could  be 
advantageously  cultivated.  Himself  claimed  to  have 
made  some  progress  in  this  direction  so  that  he  could 
control  himself  under  almost  any  conditions.  In  the 
ordeal,  no  one's  head  was  worse  turned.  The  alarm  of 
fire  quite  unmanned  him.  Instead  of  saving  the  prop- 
erty in  his  room,  for  a  considerable  time  untouched  by 
the  fire,  he  allowed  the  most  valuable  part,  worth  some 
fifteen  hundred  dollars,  to  burn,  while  he  came  out 
flourishing  up  and  down  the  street,  in  a  dazed  condition, 
a  pair  of  red  top  boots  as  the  only  trophy  he  was  able 
to  bear  out  from  the  ruin. 

From  the  lower  part  of  the  house,  many  articles  were 
saved,  many  of  them,  however,  in  a  damaged  condition, 
for  a  large  part  of  the  students  lacked  the  coolness  to 
make  the  best  use  of  the  brief  opportunity.  While  a 
few  with  the  calmness  and  skill  of  experts  carefully 
removed  valuables  to  secure  places,  others  hurled 
trunks,  clothing,  books,  bedding  and  chairs  from  the 
windows  of  the  second  story  in  wild  confusion.  In  one 
instance,  a  student  pitched  his  clock  and  looking-glass 
out  of  the  window  and  then  carried  the  shovel  and 
tongs  down  stairs.  The  yard  was  full  of  broken  trunks 
and  furniture,  bedding  and  clothing,  most  of  it  so  dam- 
aged as  to  be  of  little  value. 

In  such  confusion,  with  so  many  inexperienced  per- 


328  HISTORY  OF 

sons,  there  was  great  danger  of  accidents.  In  only  a 
single  instance,  however,  did  anything  serious  occur. 
In  the  attempt  to  gather  up  his  outcast  property,  a  stu- 
dent was  prostrated  by  a  trunk  dropped  from  the  upper 
story.  Fortunately  the  hurt  was  not  serious. 

By  twelve  o'clock  the  flames  had  done  their  work. 
Property,  to  the  value  of  twelve  thousand  dollars,  only 
partially  insured,  had  been  reduced  to  a  mass  of  glowing 
embers.  One  hundred  and  twenty  students,  in  many 
instances  with  only  the  clothes  on  their  backs,  were 
turned  into  the  street.  All  the  afternoon  the  crowds 
remained  on  the  spot,  some  as  mere  spectators,  others 
mournfully  considering  the  losses  they  had  sustained ; 
and,  as  evening  approached,  the  fragments  of  property 
saved  lay  piled  in  a  windrow  on  the  sidewalk,  awaiting 
removal  to  places  of  storage.  The  hospitality  of  the 
whole  village  was  extended  to  the  unfortunate  students. 
In  this  sore  trial  it  was  a  comfort  to  know  the  fire  was 
accidental.  The  use  of  small  stoves  for  heating  the 
rooms  was  then  the  usage,  and  each  student  on  purchas- 
ing a  fourth  or  an  eighth  of  a  cord  of  wood,  packed  it 
in  his  room.  In  this  case,  one  who  happened  to  be 
incautious,  put  his  pile  behind  the  stove,  the  drafts  of 
which  were  left  open  when  he  went  to  recitation,  and 
the  heat  became  so  intense  as  to  set  the  wood  on  fire. 
The  fire  quickly  ascended  the  partition  and  mounted  to 
the  roof. 

The  institution  had  never  known  a  sadder  day  than 
this  fourth  of  January.  At  such  a  set-back,  just  as 
they  were  reaching  toward  the  summit,  the  friends  were 
greatly  downcast.  In  former  years  they  had  been 
greatly  cramped  for  room  in  which  to  lodge  and  board 


THE   WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  329 

the  students  who  thronged  the  place  ;  now  they  were 
houseless.  Could  they  secure  board  for  so  many  in  the 
village  ?  Or,  must  the  school  dissolve  ?  To  rebuild  at 
once  seemed  impossible.  The  liberality  of  friends  had 
been  greatly  taxed  in  erecting  the  other  buildings. 
Could  they  be  called  upon  again  so  soon?  Not  to 
rebuild  at  an  early  date  would  be  dishonor  and  ruin ; 
but  to  rebuild  seemed  very  difficult.  As  they  stood 
about  the  smoking  ruins,  the  friends  anxiously  asked, 
"What  can  be  done?"  The  question  so  easily  asked 
was  not  easily  answered. 

In  this  hour  of  trial,  when  the  faith  of  many  wavered, 
the  assurance  and  courage  of  the  principal  were 
unshaken.  Whoever  else  was  disheartened,  he  was  not. 
Instead  of  yielding  to  the  pressure  of  calamity,  he  stood 
like  a  warrior  in  the  shock  of  battle,  calm,  erect  and 
confident.  The  surprise,  the  bolt,  as  it  were,  from  the 
clear  sky,  did  not  confuse  him.  If  others  were  at  a  loss 
what  to  say,  he  was  ready  to  give  the  forward  order. 
To  a  friend  who  called  upon  him  the  morning  after  the 
fire  and  expressed  fears  that  they  might  not  be  able  to 
rebuild  on  account  of  the  recent  large  drafts  upon  the 
benevolence  of  the  friends  of  the  institution,  he  at  once 
replied  that  the  fire  would  enable  them  to  erect  a  better 
structure.  When  reminded  that  the  whole  circle  of 
large  contributors  had  been  drawn  upon  already,  he 
said  those  who  had  given  most  liberally  were  the  very 
ones  on  whom  he  relied  for  additional  and  larger  con- 
tributions, and  his  judgment  in  this  case  was  sustained 
by  the  result.  The  very  men  who  had  aided  already 
came  to  the  rescue  in  this  emergency.  With  a  faith 
such  as  this,  he  felt  no  hesitancy  in  moving  right  for- 


330  HISTORY  OF 

ward.  Without  the  dehiy  of  an  hour,  and  while  the 
brands  were  still  smoking,  he  began  to  arrange  his  plans 
for  rebuilding. 

On  the  eleventh  of  February,  the  board  of  trustees 
came  together  in  extra  session  and  voted  "that  this 
board  proceed  to  build  a  boarding  house  as  soon  as 
practicable."  Miner  Raymond,  Isaac  Rich,  Lee  Claflin, 
J.  M.  Lyman,  James  Luke,  John  M.  Merrick  and  Sam- 
uel Warner  were  the  committee  to  carry  out  this  pur- 
pose. The  ideas,  the  courage,  the  large  purpose  of  the 
chairman  were  ably  seconded  by  the  members  associated 
with  him  on  the  committee.  The  names,  especially  of 
Rich  and  Claflin,  meant  the  complete  success  of  the 
undertaking.  The  foremost  question,  that  of  resources, 
was  practically  solved  by  the  constitution  of  the  com- 
mittee. If  no  others  would  aid,  these  seven  men  could 
take  the  enterprise  on  to  completion.  At  the  same 
time  a  wider  distribution  of  the  burden  was  desirable 
and  was  mapped  out  by  the  chairman  in  this  way :  the 
insurance  would  nearly  cancel  the  debt  remaining  over 
from  the  former  improvements.  The  means  for  the 
new  structure  would  thus  have  to  be  raised  entire.  To 
meet  this,  a  new  subscription  must  be  started  and  a 
grant  sought  from  the  Legislature. 

The  large  plans  of  the  board  were  sanctioned  by  the 
New  England  Conference  which  resolved,  "  That  the 
Trustees  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  be  and  hereby  are 
advised  by  this  Conference  to  erect,  as  soon  as  practi- 
cable, a  boarding  house  of  such  dimensions  and  mate- 
rials and  in  such  style  as  shall,  beyond  question,  fully 
meet  the  present  and  prospective  demands  of  the  insti- 
tution and  the  cause  of  academic  education  among  us  ; 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  33i 

and  that  we  hereby  pledge  our  cordial  cooperation  in 
any  appropriate  measures  to  raise  the  requisite  funds." 

Strengthened  by  encouraging  words  on  all  sides,  the 
trustees  moved  forward  with  a  firm  step.  In  the  new 
building  they  determined  to  use  brick  instead  of  wood, 
and  to  make  it  more  capacious  and  convenient  than  the 
old  one.  Of  the  plans  submitted,  that  by  Twombly,  of 
Boston,  was  adopted,  for  a  building  two  hundred  and 
forty  by  thirty-eight  feet,  with  an  L  one  hundred  and 
forty  by  thirty-eight  feet,  partly  three  and  partly  four 
stories  high,  and  capable  of  accommodating  two  hundred 
students.  On  the  first  day  of  August,  the  work  of 
reconstruction  on  the  old  foundation  commenced  and 
was  pushed  with  the  utmost  energy.  So  large  a  build- 
ing, however,  in  a  country  place,  was  not  the  work  of  a 
moment.  Before  the  last  blows  of  the  hammer  were 
heard  upon  the  work,  an  entire  year  had  elapsed.  The 
cost  of  the  new  structure  was  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
Of  this  sum  Isaac  Rich  proposed  to  pay  one-third,  pro- 
vided other  friends  would  contribute  the  other  two- 
thirds.  To  meet  this,  a  subscription  was  circulated  in 
Wilbraham  and  Springfield  and  about  five  thousand 
dollars  secured. 

Meantime  the  school  was  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
A  few  students  after  the  fire  returned  home  ;  the  bulk 
of  them  found  accommodations  with  the  citizens  who 
threw  wide  their  doors,  some  taking  boarders  who 
had  never  done  so  before.  In  spite  of  the  reverse,  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  school  remained  high.  Besides  the 
usual  incidents  of  academic  life,  the  political  agitations 
of  the  time  gave  a  spice  to  the  gatherings  of  the  stu- 
dents. In  the  spring  of  this  year,  Charles  Sumner 


332  HISTORY  OF 

delivered  in  the  United  States  Senate,  his  burning 
speech  on  the  "  Crime  against  Kansas,"  which  so 
incensed  the  South  that  Preston  S.  Brooks,  of  South 
Carolina,  entered  the  Senate  Chamber  after  the  close  of 
the  session,  and  finding  the  Massachusetts  Senator  writ- 
ing at  his  desk,  beat  him  in  a  dastardly  manner  with 
his  cane.  For  a  time  Mr.  Sumner  was  thought  to  be 
fatally  injured.  His  seat  in  the  Senate  was  long 
vacant.  By  this  savage  deed,  the  indignation  of  the 
North  was  aroused.  In  every  village  and  hamlet  that 
fresh  outbreak  of  "  barbarism  "  was  denounced ;  and  in 
this  the  Wesleyan  Academy  would  not  be  behind.  The 
caning  occurred  on  May  twenty-second,  and  on  the 
thirtieth  the  students  held  "a  warm  meeting,"  in  which 
the  system  of  human  slavery  was  denounced  in  unmeas- 
ured terms  and  the  character  and  deed  of  "  Brooks, 
the  bully,"  were  set  forth  in  lurid  colors. 

Notwithstanding  the  misfortunes  of  the  year,  the 
school  retained  a  good  number  of  students  and  the  ex- 
aminations indicated  proficiency  in  the  studies.  The 
honors  of  the  exhibition  were  borne  off  by  Albert  Gould, 
of  Southbridge,  and  Miss  Lucy  P.  Buddington  of  Ley- 
den,  (now  the  wife  of  Henry  A.  Parmenter,  of  Glouces- 
ter,) who  did  honor  to  themselves  and  the  institution. 
From  the  ladies'  graduating  course  five  graduated. 
They  were,  Lucy  P.  Buddington ;  Mary  F.,  daughter  of 
Rev.  James  W.  Mowry;  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Horace  Moulton  (later  Mrs.  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Abbott) ; 
Nancy  W.  Winsor,  of  Smithfield,  R.I. ;  and  Lorinda  A. 
Washburn,  of  Boston.  From  the  classical  department 
no  less  than  thirteen  entered  the  Wesleyan  University. 
They  were,  Herbert  F.  Fisk,  William  E.  Morgan,  James 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 

Henry  Newhall,  S.  B.  Sweetser,  C.  S.  Macreading,  Sam. 
Aug.  Winsor,  John  B.  Lapham,  William  L.  Spaulding, 
Albert  Gould,  Benjamin  K.  Lovett  and  Charles  Ray- 
mond. All  save  the  last  three  graduated  four  years 
later. 


HISTORT  OP 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

ADDITIONAL     RAVAGES     OF      THE      FIRE-FIEND  —  THE 
BURNING  OF  THE  NEW  BOARDING  HOUSE. 

1857. 

IN  the  opening  of  this  year,  the  friends  and  patrons  of 
the  institution,  found  much  to  inspire  them  with 
fresh  hope  and  courage.  The  clouds,  of  late  so  dense 
and  dark  about  them,  began  to  grow  thin  and  give 
indications  of  a  brighter  day.  The  number  of  stu- 
dents, though  not  as  large  as  in  some  former  periods, 
was  fully  equal  to  the  accommodations  for  boarding. 
In  1856,  the  aggregate  by  terms  had  been  six  hundred 
and  eighty,  and  the  number  in  1857  was  six  hundred 
and  ninety  ;  during  the  two  years  there  were  in  attend- 
ance seven  hundred  and  seventy-two  different  students. 
The  esprit  du  corps  of  the  school  was  never  better. 
The  progress  in  study,  too,  was  encouraging.  The 
committee  at  the  annual  examination  gave  very  favor- 
able report. 

In  the  board  of  trustees,  John  W.  Bliss  and  Truman 
Kempton  replaced  Joel  M.  Lyman  and  Lee  Rice.  John 


THE   WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  336 

Wesley  Bliss,  son  of  an  original  trustee,  was  born  in 
Wilbraham,  September  25, 1807,  and  died  July  22, 1890. 

He  married,  November  20, 1834,  Mary  Ann  Langdon, 
a  woman  of  rare  strength  and  beauty  of  character,  who 
will  be  long  remembered,  for  her  executive  energy, 
generous  sympathies  and  useful  life,  by  the  people  of 
the  town.  Settling  on  the  homestead,  Mr.  Bliss 
devoted  his  life  to  agriculture,  a  quiet  mode  of  life, 
affording  few  incidents  for  our  record.  He  was  a  man 
of  high  moral  character,  singleness  of  purpose,  gentle- 
ness of  spirit  and  transparent  integrity.  Of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  in  which  he  had  been  born,  he  was  a 
life-long,  honored  and  useful  member  and  office  bearer. 
For  twenty-one  years,  or  from  1857  to  1878,  he  was  a 
trustee  of  the  Academy.  At  nearly  all  the  meetings 
he  was  present  and  aided  in  the  counsels  and  efforts  of 
those  trying  years.  Without  the  boldness,  resources 
or  courage  of  the  great  leaders  in  this  work,  he  loyally 
cooperated  with  those  men  who  came  to  the  aid  of  the 
institution  in  the  hour  of  deepest  need. 

Mr.  Kempton,  a  gentleman  of  intelligence  and 
means,  who  purchased  an  elegant  home  and  resided  in 
town  a  few  years,  served  as  a  trustee  three  years,  or 
while  he  remained  in  the  place. 

Albert  D.  Vail,  who  replaced  Oliver  S.  Howe  as  a 
teacher,  was  born  in  Verbank,  N.Y.,  January  1,  1835, 
and  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1857. 
At  Wilbraham,  where  he  spent  a  year,  his  services  were 
highly  appreciated  by  both  trustees  and  pupils.  He 
was  enthusiastic  and  apt  to  teach.  An  incident  of  his 
life  at  Wilbraham  was  his  marriage,  October  4,  1857, 
with  Miss  Jane  Romero  of  Pleasantville,  N.Y.,  a  lady  of 


336  HISTORY  OF 

excellent  mind  and  heart.  He  joined  the  New  York 
Conference,  where  he  has  filled  leading  stations  and 
attained  eminence  as  a  preacher.  In  1878  his  alma 
mater  honored  him  with  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

The  department  of  music  was  this  year  satisfactorily 
managed  by  Miss  Miranda  Chapin. 

Ruby  Warfield,  preceptress  from  1857  to  1864,  was 
born  in  South  Milford,  Mass.,  May  26,  1826,  and  died 
in  Springfield,  January  23,  1872.  In  early  life  she 
exhibited  quickness  of  intellect  and  taste  in  learning. 
After  passing  through  the  public  schools,  she  graduated 
in  the  three  years'  course  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy. 
As  a  student,  she  was  accurate  and  brilliant,  usually 
leading  her  class ;  and,  as  a  teacher,  she  was  competent, 
affable  and  helpful  to  the  pupil.  As  a  preceptress,  she 
made  a  great  success,  being  popular  in  the  community 
as  well  as  the  school ;  for  she  was  not  only  a  scholar 
but  also  a  Christian,  whose  amiable  and  gentle  spirit, 
generous  words  and  active  service  endeared  her  to  all 
with  whom  she  associated.  On  the  first  of  June,  1865, 
she  was  united  in  the  bonds  of  holy  matrimony  with 
Rev.  L.  R.  Thayer,  D.D.  After  a  union  of  seven 
years,  she  was  laid  to  rest  in  Mount  Auburn. 

At  the  annual  exhibition,  George  Whitaker,  who 
had  been  active  in  the  social,  religious  and  literary 
gatherings,  took  the  first  honor;  and  Lucretia  Noble,  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Charles  Noble,  a  young  lady 
of  marked  ability  and  high  scholarship,  prepared  a 
drama,  evincing  much  talent,  the  parts  of  which  were 
so  well  performed,  on  the  stage,  as  to  elicit  frequent 
applause.  Nothing  equal  to  it  had  ever  before  appeared 
in  these  exhibitions.  The  conceptions  were  bold  and 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  337 

strong,  and  the  language  was  at  once  elegant  and  force- 
ful. The  characters  were  clearly  drawn  and  occupied 
their  natural  positions.  The  promise  of  literary  genius 
in  these  school  days  has  been  realized,  in  part  at  least, 
in  later  productions.  In  her  briefer  articles,  no  one 
can  fail  to  be  impressed  with  her  strength  of  thought, 
independence  and  power  of  expression.  Her  style 
reminds  one  of  that  of  George  Eliot.  In  her  one  work 
of  fiction,  there  are  plain  traces  of  the  same  qualities. 
"  The  Reverend  Idol "  made  a  sale  of  10,000  or  12,000 
copies,  which  is  thought  a  very  fair  return  on  the 
venture. 

From  the  classical  course  this  year,  four  went  to 
Middletown.  They  were  Wilbur  F.  Johnston,  Wilbur 
F.  Osborne,  William  D.  Bridge  and  George  Whitaker. 
Mr.  Osborne  was  salutatorian  at  the  Academy  and  vale- 
dictorian at  the  Wesleyan  University.  William  D. 
Bridge  became  a  member  of  the  New  England  Confer- 
ence. For  many  years  he  was  associated  with  Dr.  Vin- 
cent in  the  Chautauqua  work,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  short-hand  writers  in  America.  He 
reported  for  the  General  Conferences  of  1888  and  1892. 
George  Whitaker  also  united  with  the  New  England 
Conference,  and  after  occupying  many  leading  charges, 
he  engaged  in  the  educational  work,  first  in  Texas  and 
later  in  Oregon,  displaying  in  all  his  fields  great  enthu- 
siasm and  capacity  for  work. 

Meantime,  all  eyes  were  turned  on  the  new  boarding 
hall,  whose  ample  proportions  had  been  rising  in  beauty 
and  strength  and  whose  larger  facilities  would  allow  an 
increase  in  the  number  of  students.  Cordially  endors- 
ing the  recommendations  of  the  former  year,  the  Confer- 


338  HISTORY  OF 

ence  pledged  itself  to  cooperate  with  the  trustees,  in 
the  measures  needful  to  place  the  institution  on  a 
secure  financial  basis.  The  walls  had  been  reared 
during  the  preceding  autumn,  and  much  of  the  inside 
work  had  been  done  during  the  winter.  As  the  spring 
opened,  the  work  was  pushed  to  the  utmost,  so  that  in 
the  month  of  August,  the  building  was  completed  and 
furnished  for  the  reception  of  students.  It  was  a  noble 
edifice.  It  was  an  ornament  to  the  village  as  well  as  a 
useful  addition  to  the  academic  group.  Fisk  Hall, 
which  had  hitherto  stood  superior  in  grandeur,  was  to 
be  eclipsed  by  the  new  structure.  The  external  appear- 
ance was  a  fair  index  of  what  was  within.  The  rooms 
were  large,  convenient  and  well  lighted.  The  furniture 
was  entirely  new.  Compared  with  the  old  house,  this 
was  a  palace,  every  part  of  which  was  occupied  by  the 
incoming  tide  of  students.  In  this  first  term  with  the 
boarding  house,  the  number  of  students  rose  to  three 
hundred. 

But  in  the  flush  of  the  prosperity,  in  which  the 
friends  of  the  institution  rejoiced,  the  sky  was  again 
overcast  with  dense  darkness.  In  an  hour  least  antic- 
ipated, the  fire-fiend  was  again  abroad  and  brought  to 
confusion  dreams  of  security  and  of  facilities  for 
enlarged  usefulness  in  the  work  of  education.  On  the 
morning  of  September  29th,  1857,  all  connected  with 
the  institution  were  animated  with  hope  and  courage; 
at  night,  the  beautiful  house,  the  center  of  interest  to 
so  many  persons,  was  a  mass  of  blackened  ruins.  It 
was  this  time  the  work  of  an  incendiary.  The  fire 
started  in  a  heap  of  shavings  in  the  basement  and  rap- 
idly spread  through  the  building.  The  ample  arrange- 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  339 

meijts  for  extinguishing  fires  were  rendered  useless  by 
the  cutting  of  the  pipes  connected  with  the  water 
supply.  Without  means  for  extinguishing  the  fire,  the 
people  could  only  wait  and  watch  the  flames,  as  they 
spread  and  enveloped  every  part  of  the  building. 
What  was  saved  of  furniture,  bedding,  books  and  cloth- 
ing was,  as  in  the  former  fire,  badly  damaged.  It  was 
an  immense,  almost  a  total  loss. 

The  trustees  at  once  joined  the  selectmen  in  offering 
a  reward  of  five  hundred  dollars  for  the  detection  of 
the  incendiary;  but,  though  little  doubt  was  entertained 
as  to  the  guilty  party,  no  evidence  sufficient  to  convict 
was  ever  obtained.  The  real  facts  as  to  the  origin  of 
the  fire  will  probably  be  known  only  in  the  revelations 
of  the  last  day. 

To  the  trustees  and  friends  of  the  institution,  this 
second  fire  was  a  terrible  calamity,  coming  as  it  did 
when  all  were  felicitating  themselves  on  complete 
recovery  from  disaster,  it  was  another  bolt  from  the 
clear  sky.  To  those  prepared,  the  blow  would  have 
been  heavy,  but  to  those  unprepared  it  was  stunning. 
Stout  hearts  quailed.  The  faith  of  some  faltered. 
The  elements  seemed  armed  against  the  institution. 
Who  could  cope  with  the  Prince  of  Evil?  Who  could 
endure  the  blow  of  a  fiendish  hand,  reaching  from  the 
outer  darkness?  The  situation  was  so  deplorable 
that  one  could  hardly  take  heart  to  search  and  ascertain 
the  facts  in  the  case.  And  yet,  however  unpleasant- 
this  was  the  first  thing  to  be  done. 

Provision  for  the  students,  again  turned  into  the 
streets,  was  instantly  made.  Some,  as  in  the  former 
instance,  returned  home.  Most  of  them  were  taken  into 


340  HISTORY  OF 

the  homes  of  the  citizens,  and  in  two  days  the  school 
was  running  again  in  its  usual  order.  Though  the 
quarters  were  sometimes  narrow,  the  proficiency  of  the 
students  was  encouraging. 

On  the  financial  side,  the  aspect  of  matters  was  less 
assuring.  The  loss  by  the  fire  was  full  $50,000.  On 
this  the  trustees  obtained  only  $20,000  insurance. 
This  would  leave  a  debt,  for  which  no  provision  had 
been  made,  of  $35,000.  Under  such  a  burden  of  debt, 
it  seemed  to  some  preposterous  to  think  of  rebuilding. 
The  debt  itself  would  crush  the  institution.  To  men 
of  small  faith  and  little  enterprise,  the  way  seemed  to 
be  entirely  closed  up,  especially  as  the  principal  field 
had  been  canvassed  again  and  again. 

In  such  a  crisis,  the  Academy  was  fortunate  in  hav- 
ing at  its  head  a  man  of  large  faith  and  indomitable 
courage,  who  held  nothing  that  was  needed  to  be  im- 
possible. Adversity,  so  far  from  crushing  his  energies, 
or  even  dampening  his  ardor,  roused  him  to  new  exer- 
tion and  developed  in  him  fresh  resources  and  opened 
to  him  larger  possibilities.  In  misfortune,  he  could  see 
doors  of  opportunity  never  opened  before ;  and  without 
stopping  to  lament  the  inevitable,  he  was  quick  to  seize 
the  advantages  the  situation  afforded  for  grander  achiev- 
ment.  The  first  fire  afforded  opportunity  for  a  better 
building;  the  second  and  more  disastrous  one  allowed 
the  larger  conceptions,  which  were  to  be  realized  in  due 
time  in  the  magnificent  structure  which  now  adorns 
the  place. 

In  the  great  and  arduous  work  to  which  Dr.  Raymond 
was  now  called,  he  was  fortunate  in  having  drawn 
around  him  a  group  of  noble  men  whose  ample 


TSE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  341 

resources  and  capacity  for  large  business  enabled  them 
to  afford  wise  counsel  and  substantial  aid  in  the  hour 
of  darkness  and  peril.  Upon  these  men,  in  full  sym- 
pathy with  his  ideals  and  purposes,  he  could  confidently 
lean  for  support.  Among  these  men,  Isaac  Rich  and 
Lee  Claflin  held  foremost  place.  With  large  material 
resources,  they  had  come  to  value  education  and  to  feel 
a  just  pride  in  furnishing  schools,  for  their  own  denom- 
ination, with  the  best  facilities  for  education.  Others, 
of  less  means,  stood  resolutely  by  them.  In  the  board 
of  trust  were  such  men  as  Jacob  Sleeper,  William  Rice, 
William  North,  Horace  Smith,  Edward  Otheman,  John 
M.  Merrick,  Harrison  Newhall  and  Thomas  P.  Richard- 
son, who,  though  not  equal  to  the  largest  contributions, 
did  not  fail  to  sustain  their  associates  by  words  of  cour- 
age and  such  offerings  as  were  within  their  means.  With 
such  men  at  his  side,  the  principal  could  have  no 
thought  of  looking  back ;  the  one  feeling  was  that  of 
confidence  in  the  forward  movement;  a  determination 
not  only  to  rebuild  but  to  rebuild  better  than  before. 
This  dominant  purpose  was  distinct  and  settled ;  what 
remained  was  to  discover  the  resources  adequate  to 
realize  so  great  an  end.  The  will  and  purpose  were 
present;  the  way  to  their  realization  must  surely  open. 
In  this  moment  of  suspense,  when  the  fortunes  of 
the  institution  seemed  to  hang  in  the  balance,  the 
silence  was  broken  by  Isaac  Rich  and  Lee  Claflin,  in  a 
most  liberal  proposal  to  the  board.  If  other  friends  of 
the  Academy  would  provide  for  the  extinction  of  the 
$35,000  debt,  they  gave  assurance  of  contributions  suffi- 
cient to  rebuild  the  boarding  hall  in  grander  propor- 
tions than  the  one  destroyed.  At  this  proposal,  all 


342  HISTORY  OP 

breathed  easier,  and  the  flush  of  confidence  lighted 
every  countenance.  This  offer  very  much  narrowed 
the  question  before  the  trustees.  The  rebuilding  being 
provided  for,  the  liquidation  of  the  debt  was  the  only 
matter  to  which  they  need  give  attention.  How  they 
contrived  to  deal  with  the  debt  will  be  seen  in  the 
next  chapter. 


THE  tfESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  343 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE     STRUGGLE     WITH    THE    THIRTY-FIVE    THOUSAND 
DOLLAR  DEBT. 


1858. 

THE  shadows  of  the  former  year  were  projected 
across  the  present  one.  The  faith  and  patience  of 
the  friends  of  the  institution  were  severely  tested,  but 
with  the  encouragement  of  a  day-dawn  in  the  near 
future. 

In  the  corps  of  teachers,  Nathaniel  Fellows  replaced 
Albert  D.  Vail.  In  the  department  of  music,  Miss 
Ellen  Doe,  a  young  lady  of  fine  accomplishments  and 
efficiency  as  a  teacher,  took  the  place  of  Miss  Chapin. 

The  Rev.  William  Rice,  D.D.,  the  son  of  an  original 
trustee  and  a  devoted  friend  of  education,  was  this  year 
chosen  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees.  Born  in 
Springfield  in  1821,  and  reared  in  an  intelligent  and 
virtuous  family,  he  early  evinced  a  taste  for  letters  and 
gave  attention  to  the  demands  of  personal  and  practical 
religion.  Besides  the  advantages  for  education  enjoyed 
in  the  public  schools,  he  spent  several  years  at  the  Wes- 


344  HISTORY  Of 

leyan  Academy,  where  he  was  invariably  prominent  as 
well  in  social  and  literary  circles  as  in  the  class  room. 
In  the  hot  debates  of  the  time  he  was  invariably  found, 
by  reason  of  a  keen  intellect,  quick  perceptions,  a  lam- 
bent tongue  and  an  unsurpassed  gift  of  diplomacy,  in 
the  lead.  In  days  when  the  cause  was  very  unpopular, 
he  was  an  intense  abolitionist ;  and,  in  the  face  of  the 
authorities,  he  persisted  in  agitating  the  forbidden  sub- 
ject, and  in  one  instance,  as  we  have  seen,  nailed  the 
notice  of  an  anti-slavery  meeting  to  the  very  doors  of 
the  Academy. 

Though  never  favored  with  vigorous  health,  he  has 
done  a  vast  amount  of  work.  In  1841  he  joined  the 
New  England  Conference  of  which  he  remains  a  con- 
spicuous member  and  ornament.  After  sixteen  years 
in  the  itinerancy,  in  which  he  filled  some  of  our  most 
conspicuous  pulpits,  he  returned  to  Springfield,  and, 
besides  attention  to  private  business,  has  had  charge  for 
more  than  twenty-five  years  of  the  city  library,  making 
it  one  of  the  most  select  and  valuable  in  the  country. 
From  1875  to  the  present  time,  he  has  been  a  trustee  of 
the  Wesleyan  University  from  which  institution,  in 
1876,  he  received  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  A 
member  of  the  General  Conferences  of  1856  and  1876, 
he  served  on  the  committee  to  revise  the  Hymn  Book, 
performing  a  large  amount  of  the  work,  for  which  his 
reading,  fine  literary  judgment  and  taste  so  well  qualified 
him.  For  eighteen  years,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Board  of  Education  and  also  on  the 
school  board  of  his  native  city.  From  1873  to  1882,  he 
was  chaplain  to  the  Hampden  House  of  Correction. .  In 
the  literary  world  he  is  known  by  an  excellent  "  Pas- 


THE   WESLEYAtf  ACADEMY.  346 

tor's  Manual"  and  by  "  Moral  and  Religious  Quotations 
from  the  Poets."  In  no  department  of  service  has  he 
done  better  work  than  in  the  supervision  of  the  affairs 
of  the  Wesleyan  Academy.  Always  an  influential 
member,  he  has  been  since  1882  president  of  the  board. 
He  is  a  worthy  successor  of  his  father,  who  so  long 
labored  for  the  institution.  Though  residing  ten  miles 
away,  he  has  been  present  at  nearly  all  the  important 
meetings  of  the  board ;  and,  by  his  ceaseless  vigilance, 
wise  counsels  and  financial  contributions  has  helped 
forward  every  undertaking  for  the  improvement  of.  the 
institution.  William  Rice  married,  September  13, 1843, 
Caroline  L.  North,  who  had  been  a  prominent  student 
at  Wilbraham. 

Though  without  a  boarding  house,  the  students 
passed  an  enjoyable  and  profitable  year.  At  the  annual 
exhibition,  six  young  ladies  in  the  graduating  course 
received  diplomas.  They  were,  Susan  E.  Bushnell, 
daughter  of  a  superannuated  preacher  of  the  New  York 
East  Conference,  residing  in  Wilbraham,  M.  Adelaide 
Cobb  of  Holliston,  Mary  E.  Chapin  of  North  Adams, 
Mary  Hastings  of  Blandford,  Sarah  E.,  daughter  of 
Rev.  E.  B.  Morgan  of  the  New  England  Conference,  and 
Mary  J.  White  of  Fair  Haven.  From  the  classical 
course,  three,  viz.,  Henry  L  Dickinson,  John  R.  Buck 
and  Riley  D.  Thomas,  entered  the  Wesleyan  University. 

But  the  great  concern  of  the  year  was  the  financial 
struggle  in  caring  for  the  heavy  debt  and  thus  opening 
the  way  for  the  new  boarding  hall.  In  their  annual 
meeting  of  this  year,  the  trustees  "  gratefully  accept  the 
timely  and  generous  offer  of  Messrs.  Rich  and  Claflin,and 
hereby  instruct  Dr.  Raymond  to  proceed,  without  delay  > 


346  HISTORY  OF 

in  his  appeal  to  the  public  for  the  amount  of  money 
necessary  to  cancel  the  debt  against  the  trustees." 

In  all  the  movements  now  of  the  trustees,  this  debt 
was  the  objective  point.  The  proposal  of  Rich  and 
Claflin  would  avail  nothing  without  this  debt  could  be 
cared  for  by  other  friends  of  the  institution.  And  how 
to  cancel  so  large  an  obligation  was  a  problem  no  one 
had  been  able  to  solve.  Small  contributions  would  not 
prove  sufficient ;  and  where  could  they  look  for  large 
ones?  But  if  the  matter  remained  obscure  to  most, 
light  dawned  upon  one  mind  whose  resources  had  never 
failed  him  in  the  hour  of  need.  As  other  institutions 
had  done,  he  would  have  the  Wesleyan  Academy  appeal 
to  the  State.  To  be  sure  the  State  had  already  refused 
them,  but  they  had  a  stronger  case  now  and  they  should 
speak  with  a  voice  to  be  heard,  even  on  Beacon  Hill. 

To  prepare  the  way  for  a  successful  plea  before  the 
Legislature,  Dr.  Raymond  judged  something  must  be 
done  among  the  people.  The  matter  was  brought 
before  the  New  England  Conference  at  its  session  in 
Worcester,  April  7,  1858,  and  the  preachers  pledged 
themselves  to  present,  on  the  second  Sunday  of  the 
ensuing  May,  "  to  their  respective  congregations  the 
claims  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  and  that  within  three 
weeks  thereafter,  we  will,  if  practicable,  put  in  execu- 
tion such  measures  as  in  our  judgment  will  most  effect- 
ually secure,  within  that  time,  a  faithful  application  for 
aid,  to  each  and  every  accessible  member  of  our  church 
and  congregation  from  whom  there  is  any  prospect  of 
obtaining  contributions  to  this  cause,  in  all  cases  where 
practicable,  making  such  application  in  person."  The 
Conference  also  declared  that  "  the  relation  of  the  Wes- 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  347 

leyan  Academy  to  the  educational  interests  of  the  Com- 
monwealth are  such  as  make  it  just  and  equal  that  said 
institution  receive  State  aid  to  an  amount  sufficient  to 
relieve  it  in  its  present  emergency,  and  that  should  the 
trustees  petition  the  Legislature  at  its  next  session  for 
such  aid,  the  secretary  be  and  hereby  is  authorized  to 
affix  his  signature  to  such  petition  in  behalf  of  the  Con- 
ference." 

The  appeal  to  the  churches  was  presented  promptly 
and  with  great  vigor  in  all  parts  of  the  Conference. 
Besides  the  efforts  of  the  pastors,  Dr.  Raymond  himself 
gave  much  time  and  attention  to  the  matter,  applying 
especially  to  those  who  were  able  to  make  considerable 
contributions  to  the  cause.  The  business  was  urgent. 
To  say  nothing  of  the  debt  itself,  the  interest  amounted 
to  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  a  year.  At  this 
rate  the  interest  would  soon  make  large  additions  to  the 
indebtedness. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  first  appeal  for  State  aid  was 
denied.  It  was  a  curious  spectacle  to  see  men  who  had 
lauded  education  to  the  skies  and  had  advocated  appro- 
priations from  the  treasury  to  schools  in  which  they  were 
especially  interested,  refusing  to  vote  a  dollar  to  aid,  in 
its  extremity,  an  institution  which  had  done  an  impor- 
tant work  in  educating  teachers  for  the  public  schools 
and  in  preparing  the  children  of  the  people  in  large 
numbers  for  the  work  of  active  life.  To  the  friends  of 
the  Wesleyan  Academy,  the  exhibition  of  narrowness 
on  the  part  of  the  broad  men  of  Harvard,  Amherst  and 
Williams  was  painful  in  the  extreme.  In  extenuation 
they  held  that  whatever  had  been  done  in  the  past,  the 
time  had  fully  come  to  refuse  all  appropriations  to  denom- 


348  HISTORY  0? 

inational  schools.  With  such  views  prevailing  among 
the  legislators,  it  seemed  to  many  of  the  friends  useless 
to  make  further  effort  in  that  direction. 

1859. 

Such,  however,  was  not  the  view  of  Dr.  Raymond. 
He  determined  to  appeal  to  the  people.  If  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature  were  not  spontaneously  moved 
to  aid  a  struggling  institution,  every  whit  as  deserving 
as  others  which  had  been  aided,  he  would  induce  the 
masses  to  help  him.  The  petitions  were  widely  circu- 
lated and  poured  in  upon  the  Legislature  of  1859.  The 
committee  to  which  they  were  referred  granted  hearings 
to  the  friends  of  the  institution.  Among  those  helpful 
in  the  matter  were  Hon.  William  Claflin  of  the  Senate 
and  Hon.  Amos  B.  Merrill  of  the  House.  To  the 
prayers  thus  presented  and  urged,  the  committee  could 
not  consistently  turn  a  deaf  ear.  The  case  was  urgent 
and  demanded  attention.  However  much  some  of  the 
members  might  be  averse  to  it,  it  became  more  clear 
with  each  day  that  aid  must  be  granted  to  Wilbraham. 

The  moment  this  sentiment  prevailed  in  the  body, 
the  friends  of  other  institutions  which  had  been  favored 
again  and  again,  instead  of  dealing  with  this  case  of 
need  by  itself,  determined  to  make  it  the  occasion  of 
enlarging  the  endowments  of  their  favorite  institutions. 
That  is,  men  who  had  claimed  that  the  State  was  unable 
to  afford  aid  to  denominational  schools,  were  quite  will- 
ing, after  all,  to  take  the  lion's  share  for  those  of  their 
own  faith.  Their  opposition  proved  to  be  less  to  the 
appropriation  of  money  to  denominational  schools  than 
to  the  appropriation  to  any  schools  save  their  own. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  349 

The  friends  of  Harvard,  Tufts,  Williams  and  Amherst, 
the  broad  benefactors  who  had  stood  as  models,  could 
be  induced  to  aid  Wilbraham  only  by  a  bribe  in  the 
shape  of  aid  to  their  own  institutions.  One  who 
intensely  opposed  the  appropriation  was  Amasa  Walker, 
of  North  Brookfield,  a  man  who  claimed  to  be  deeply 
interested  in  the  cause  of  education  and  to  cherish 
broad  religious  and  humanitarian  sympathies.  In  this 
campaign  for  education,  the  real  breadth  of  many  of 
these  legislators  became  quite  apparent  to  all  observers 
But  in  spite  of  all  this  opposition,  the  measure  was  car- 
ried. 

The  Omnibus  Bill,  embodying  the  provisions  of  the 
grant,  reads  as  follows :  — 

An  act  to  incorporate  the  educational  fund  and  to  grant  aid  to 
the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology,  Tufts,  Williams  and  Amherst 
Colleges  and  to  the  Wesleyan  Academy  in  Wilbraham  out  of  the 
proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  Back  Bay  Lands. 

SECTION  1.  The  avails  of  the  sales  of  land  belonging  to  the 
Commonwealth  in  the  Back  Bay  shall  be  paid  into  the  treasury  to 
be  held,  invested  and  applied  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
the  resolves  of  1857,  Chapter  70,  and  the  moiety  of  such  avails, 
which,  by  the  provisions  of  said  chapter,  inure  immediately  to 
the  use  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  which,  by  the  96th  chapter  of 
the  Statutes  of  185S,  is  styled  "  the  Back  Bay  Fund,"  shall  be  held 
invested  and  appropriated  as  follows;  that  is  to  say, 

(1.)  The  whole  of  such  moiety,  until  the  sum  of  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  shall  have  been  disposed  of,  shall  be  employed 
for  the  redemption  of  the  scrip  of  the  Commonwealth,  issued  in 
the  year  1856  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  third  sec- 
tion of  Chapter  235  of  that  year. 

(2.)  After  such  sum  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  shall 
have  been  received  into  the  treasury,  one  half  of  the  avails  of  the 
sales  of  such  moiety  shall,  as  fast  as  received,  be  added  to  the 
Massachusetts  school  fund,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  prin- 
cipal thereof. 

(3.)    The  remaining  avails  of  such  moiety  shall,  after  being 


350  HISTORY  OF 

received  into  the  treasury,  be  distributed  upon  August  1  in  each 
year,  among  the  institutions  hereinafter  named  in  the  proportions 
following;  that  is  to  say, 

(1.)  Twenty  per  centum  of  the  avails  of  such  moiety  shall  be 
paid  to  such  persons  as  may,  at  the  present  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, be  incorporated  as  trustees  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology,  such  piyments  not  to  exceed,  in  the  aggregate,  the  sum 
of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

(2. )  Twelve  per  centum  of  the  avails  of  such  moiety  shall  be 
paid  to  the  trustees  of  Tufts  College,  such  payments  not  to  ex- 
ceed, in  the  aggregate,  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

(3.)  Six  per  centum  of  the  avails  of  such  moiety  shall  be  paid 
to  the  trustees  of  the  Corporation  of  Williams  College,  upon  the 
order  of  the  corporation,  such  payments  not  to  exceed  in  the 
aggregate,  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

(4.)  Six  per  centum  of  the  avails  of  such  moiety  shall  be  paid 
to  the  trustees  of  the  corporation  of  Amherst  College,  upon  the 
order  of  the  corporation,  such  payments  not  to  exceed  in  the 
aggregate,  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

(5.)  Six  per  centum  of  the  avails  of  such  moiety  shall  be  paid 
to  the  trustees  of  the  corporation  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  in 
Wilbraham,  upon  the  order  of  the  corporation,  such  payments 
not  to  exceed,  in  the  aggregate,  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars. 

SEC.  2.  No  payment  as  aforesaid  shall  be  made  to  either  of  the 
aforementioned  institutions,  unless,  before  the  time  for  such  pay- 
ment, it  shall  be  made  to  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council,  that  there  has  been  secured  by  subscription  in 
aid  of  such  institution,  in  cash  or  in  bonds  of  unquestionable 
security,  an  amount  equal  to  the  amount  then  to  be  paid  to  such 
institution,  according  to  the  tenor  of  this  act,  nor  to  either  of  the 
institutions  hereinafter  named,  unless  there  shall  have  been  estab- 
lished in  such  institutions,  the  number  of  free  scholarships  set 
opposite  their  respective  names;  that  is  to  say,  in  Williams  College, 
thiee  free  scholarships;  in  Tufts  College,  three  free  scholarships; 
and  in  Amherst  College,  three  free  scholarships. 

The  aforesaid  free  scholarships  shall  be  under  the  control  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  and  may  be  filled  and  managed  in  such  mode 
as  now  is,  or  may  hereafter  be,  provided  by  law  for  the  regulation 
of  free  scholarships  established  by  the  Commonwealth. 

SEC.  3.    The  avails  of  the  moiety  of  the  sales  of  public  lands, 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  351 

which,  by  the  provisions  of  the  70th  Chapter  of  the  Resolves  of 
1857,  inure  immediately  to  the  use  of  the  Commonwealth  and  the 
distribution  of  which  is  not  otherwise  provided  for  in  this  act, 
shall  be  added  to  the  principal  of  the  school  fund. 

Section  four  provides  for  a  reserve  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  roads  and  bridges.  The  act  was 
approved  by  Governor  N.  P.  Banks,  April  9,  1859. 

In  one  respect  this  grant  was  disappointing.  It 
brought  no  present  aid  to  the  trustees  of  the  Academy. 
They  might  not  be  able  to  realize  for  many  years  ;  and 
meantime  the  interest  was  running  up  at  a  fearful  rate. 
For  this  reason  we  shall  meet  the  debt  again. 

In  the  educational  department,  this,  like  the  preced- 
ing year,  had  been  prosperous  in  the  face  of  great 
difficulties.  Numbers  were  less,  but  the  enthusiasm 
remained.  The  religious  interest,  too,  was  encouraging. 
The  social  meetings  were  lively  and  profitable.  The 
students  found  great  inspiration  in  the  sermons  of  Rev. 
William  F.  Warren,  who  occupied  the  village  pulpit. 
Then  young  himself,  he  addressed  a  youthful  audience 
every  Sunday.  Though  not  in  daily  contact  with  the 
school,  the  young  preacher  did  much  to  teach,  inspire 
and  guide  those  who  sat  at  his  feet  each  Lord's  Day. 

At  the  annual  examination,  the  visiting  committee 
were  highly  pleased.  Of  thirty-three  classes,  they 
placed  twenty-nine  in  the  first  rank.  The  paintings 
and  sketches  of  the  art  department  were  superior.  There 
were  only  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  different  stu- 
dents. Of  these,  Achsah  B.  Freeman  of  New  Salem, 
and  Sarah  E.  Wendell  of  Great  Falls,  N.H.,  graduated 
from  the  ladies'  course. 

Amos  B.  Merrill,    Horace   M.   Sessions  and   Carlos 


352  HISTORY  OF 

Pierce  were  elected  to  the  board  of  trustees.  The  last 
named  did  not  serve. 

Hon.  Amos  B.  Merrill,  a  successful  lawyer  and  a 
valued  friend  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  was  born  in 
Lyman,  N.H.,  March  4,  1820,  and  died  in  Boston, 
August  30,  1872.  After  preparing  for  college  at  Wil- 
braham,  he  entered  the  Wesleyan  University,  but  left 
in  the  junior  year.  In  1839-40,  he  was  principal  of  the 
preparatory  department  of  Louisiana  State  College. 
He  graduated  at  the  Harvard  Law  School  in  1841  and 
at  once  opened  practice  in  Boston,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death.  In  1859-60,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature  from  the  eleventh  ward  of 
the  city.  In  1846,  he  married  Nancy  H.  Goldsbury, 
who  survived  him  a  few  years. 

Mr.  Merrill  manifested  a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in 
the  Academy,  of  which  he  was  trustee  from  1859  to 
1871.  He  was  usually  at  the  annual  meetings  of  the 
board  and  was  a  wise  counselor  and  a  courageous  actor 
in  the  various  undertakings  of  his  time.  As  a  legal 
adviser,  his  services  were  very  valuable  to  the  institu- 
tion. In  securing  the  grant  from  the  Legislature,  also, 
he  was  serviceable  by  reason  of  his  knowledge  of  the 
subject  and  acquaintance  with  the  members.  Besides 
what  he  had  given  in  his  lifetime,  Mr.  Merrill  remem- 
bered the  Academy  in  a  bequest  from  which  six  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  were  realized.  To 
the  Memorial  Church,  also,  he  left  the  same  amount. 

Horace  M.  Sessions,  who  was  serviceable  as  a  trustee, 
was  born  in  South  Wilbraham  (now  Hampden),  Jan- 
uary 23,  1828,  and  prepared  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
for  the  agricultural  department  of  Yale.  As  an  agricul- 


Hon.  AMOS    B.  MERRILL. 


R.    L.   CUMNOCK. 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  353 

turalist,  he  devoted  much  attention  to  the  raising  of 
blooded  stock.  In  1853,  he  was  chosen  town  clerk 
and  treasurer  and  in  1860-62,  he  served  as  school 
committee  and  superintendent  of  the  town  schools. 
Assessor  in  1876,  he  was  chosen  to  represent  the  district 
in  the  Legislature  of  1877.  In  1881,  he  removed  to 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  now  has  charge  of  the  drafting  depart- 
ment of  the  Electric  Light  Co.,  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 
Mr.  Sessions  married,  July  2,  1856,  Juliette  Lord,  of 
Westfield,  Mass. 

The  only  serious  disturbance  in  the  management  of 
the  school  during  the  administration  of  Dr.  Raymond, 
occurred  at  the  close  of  this  year.  In  distributing  the 
honors,  the  valedictory  address  was  assigned  to  Frank 
J.  Wagner,  at  which  thirteen  members  of  the  class 
remonstrated ;  and,  as  their  remonstrance  produced  no 
change  of  programme,  they  refused  to  appear  on  the 
stage  at  the  exhibition.  Private  expostulation  failed  to 
change  the  minds  of  the  remonstrants.  At  the  close  of 
the  chapel  service  the  next  morning,  Dr.  Raymond 
arose,  and,  without  note  or  comment,  read  the  names  of 
the  thirteen  contumacious  students  arid  declared  them 
expelled  from  the  institution  and  forbidden  to  reenter 
the  grounds.  The  names  of  "  the  immortal  thirteen  " 
were,  Henry  O.  Marcy,  Henry  A.  Buttrick,  Franklin  O. 
Barnes,  E.  K.  Dexter,  George  W.  Cook,  Henry  E.  Burton, 
George  A.  Newcomb,  Alonzo  B.  Newell,  John  H.  Peck, 
Jr.,  S.  A.  Smith,  Charles  S.  Raymond,  Timothy  E. 
Steele  and  A.  W.  Cook.  Though  excluded  from  the 
institution  grounds,  they  remained  in  town  and  com- 
pleted their  preparation  for  college  in  a  private  club. 
Of  these,  five  entered  Middletovvn ;  viz.,  Buttrick,  G. 


354  HISTORY   OF 

W.  Cook,  Dexter,  Newcomb  and  Steele.  Marcy  and 
Newell  went  to  Amherst,  the  former  being  now  a  trustee 
of  the  Academy  as  noticed  further  on,  and  the  latter  an 
eminent  teacher.  Buttrick  died  in  college;  G.  W. 
Cook  established  an  educational  institute  in  Pough- 
keepsie ;  Dexter  is  a  successful  lawyer  of  Boston ;  New- 
comb  is  a  prosperous  merchant  in  the  same  city ;  and 
Steele  is  an  able  lawyer  in  Hartford,  Ct. 

Of  the  other  six,  we  are  able  to  speak  less  definitely. 
Smith  has  made  a  great  success  as  a  financier  in  Cali- 
fornia ;  Raymond  is  a  famous  Boston  merchant ;  Peck 
engaged  in  teaching  and  in  the  civil  service  at  Nor- 
wich, Ct. ;  Burton  is  a  leading  lawyer  of  Hartford,  and 
A.  W.  Cook  is  an  enterprising  journalist,  of  Milford 
Mass. 


THE   WESLEXAN  ACADEMY.  355 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


1860. 

THIS  was  an  epochal  year  in  America.  The  culmi- 
nating political  event  was  the  election  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  to  the  presidency  of  the  United  States. 
The  atmosphere  was  everywhere  disturbed  by  the  one 
great  question  which  had  come  to  involve  all  others. 
The  storm  of  war  could  already  be  heard  in  the  dis- 
tance. Though  located  in  a  quiet  hamlet,  the  life  of 
the  Academy  was  not  unaffected  by  the  commotion  of 
the  political  elements. 

In  the  board  of  instruction,  Charles  N.  Stowers 
replaced  Nathaniel  Fellows.  He  was  born  in  Stockton, 
Me.,  September  24,  1835.  On  graduating  at  the  Wes- 
leyan  University,  he  engaged  at  Wilbraham  for  two 
years.  A  thorough  scholar,  he  was  also  an  enthusiastic 
and  popular  teacher.  He  was  afterwards  principal  at 
Camillus,  N.Y.,  and  later  became  a  preacher  in  the 
Troy,  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  the  Dakota  Conferences,  in 
which  he  has  occupied  leading  charges. 


356  HISTORY  OF 

George  C.  Rand,  Philip  Tapley  and  Rev.  Joseph 
Cummings  were  elected  members  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees.  George  C.  Rand,  the  great  printer  of  the 
firm  of  Rand,  Avery  &  Co.,  was  born  in  Danville,  Vt., 
December  13,  1810,  and  died  in  Newton,  December  30, 
1878.  Son  of  the  Rev.  John  Rand,  a  Christian  min- 
ister, he  early  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  Boston  and 
rose  by  skill,  diligence  and  faithfulness  to  be  one  of 
the  famous  printers  of  the  city.  The  placards  which 
called  out  the  respectables  in  1835  to  mob  Garrison 
were  printed  and  posted  by  George  C.  Rand,  whose 
eyes  were  yet  holden.  In  1841,  he  began  work  on 
Ziotis  Herald  for  D.  H.  Ela.  A  year  later,  he  pur- 
chased and  published  the  Sunday  School  Messenger,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Reid,  who  dropped  out  in  1845.  In 
1854,  the  firm  of  Rand,  Avery  &  Co.  was  formed,  and 
a  wide  field  was  opened  before  them.  They  printed 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  of  which  400,000  copies  were  sold 
in  this  country  and  500,000  in  England.  They  printed 
for  the  Harpers  when  their  house  was  burned,  and  for 
the  city.  The  business  of  the  firm  became  very  exten- 
sive, and  their  printing  was  of  the  best  quality.  The 
reputation  of  the  house  stood  high  in  every  part  of 
America.  The  growth  and  enterprise  of  this  firm 
affords  a  striking  instance  of  New  England  thrift  and 
capacity.  From  a  pay  roll  of  twelve  dollars  per  week, 
they  rose  to  four  thousand  dollars  per  week. 

In  person  Mr.  Rand  was  tall,  with  thin  and  sharp 
features,  light  blue  eyes  and  a  cheerful,  benevolent 
aspect.  In  almost  every  respect,  he  was  a  model  man, 
who  will  be  long  remembered  and  honored  as  a  sterling 
man  of  business,  a  friend  ever  generous  and  true,  and 


GEORGE    C.    RAND. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  357 

an  intelligent,  active  and  devout  Christian.  Mr.  Rand 
married  Julia,  daughter  of  Abraham  Avery,  of  Wil- 
braham,  widow  of  John  Roper,  and  sister  of  his  part- 
ner in  business,  Abraham  Avery. 

As  a  trustee,  he  was  quite  serviceable  to  the  institu- 
tion. Though  not  always  able  to  be  present  at  its 
meetings,  he  aided  the  cause  by  his  counsel  and  means 
to  the  very  last.  He  shrank  from  no  responsibility. 
Whatever  the  interests  of  the  institution  demanded,  he 
had  courage  to  undertake. 

Abraham  Avery,  son  of  the  original  trustee  of  the 
same  name,  was  born  in  Wilbraham,  November  15, 
1824.  Besides  instruction  in  the  public  schools,  he 
attended  the  Academy  for  several  terms  from  1836  to 
1844,  when  he  graduated  with  honor,  as  the  valedic- 
torian of  the  year.  Entering  the  Wesleyan  University, 
he  prosecuted  the  course  successfully  until  the  senior 
year,  when  he  left  to  enter  the  Law  School  at  Har- 
vard. Instead  of  going  to  Harvard,  however,  he 
accepted  a  desirable  position  in  a  business  house  in 
Boston,  where  he  remained  five  years,  becoming,  in  the 
meantime,  thoroughly  accomplished  in  business. 

In  1854,  he  joined  his  brother-in-law  in  the  printing 
business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Rand,  Avery  &  Co., 
which  for  many  years  remained  famous,  as  the  most 
conspicuous  printing  establishment  in  Boston.  The 
incidents  in  the  history  of  the  firm  have  been  given  in 
the  preceding  sketch.  The  large  business  not  only 
tested  the  great  qualities  of  the  managers,  but  brought 
them  into  intimate  relations  with  many  publishing 
houses  and  the  leading  authors  of  the  day,  such  as 
Emerson,  Lowell,  Longfellow,  Whittier,  Holmes,  Bret 


358  HISTORY  OF 

Harte,  Aldrich,  Mrs.  Stowe,  Fields,  Howells,  Everett, 
George  Ticknor,  Mrs.  Howe,  Surnner  and  hundreds  of 
others,  which  was  in  itself  no  mean  education.  The 
firm,  as  we  have  seen,  printed  for  nearly  everybody 
—  for  the  state,  the  city,  for  individuals,  and  for 
great  publishing  houses,  like  that  of  the  Harpers. 

In  1878,  the  health  of  Mr.  Rand  became  so  impaired 
that  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  business  and,  by  the 
mutual  consent  of  the  parties,  the  firm  was  dissolved ; 
Mr.  Avery  also  retiring  from  business.  Since  his 
retirement  from  active  business,  he  has  given  much 
attention  to  various  departments  of  business,  in  which 
he  has  acted  as  trustee  or  director,  as  the  Newton  and 
Watertown  Gas  Light  Company,  the  Franklin  Savings 
Bank,  the  Shawmut  Fire  Insurance  Company,  the  Ash- 
ton  Valve  Company,  the  New  England  Railroad  Pub- 
lishing Company  and  Foster's  Wharf  Company.  He 
has  also  acted  as  president  of  the  Globe  Nail  Company 
and  of  the  Rand-Avery  Supply  Company,  besides 
taking  part  in  various  other  interests. 

For  thirty-five  years,  the  residence  of  Mr.  Avery  has 
been  at  Union  Park,  Boston.  In  the  midst  of  multi- 
plied engagements,  he  has  found  time  repeatedly  to 
make  the  tour  of  Europe,  from  St.  Petersburg  and  Mos- 
cow to  Naples  and  Rome.  He  has  also  visited  many 
sections  of  our  own  country  and  Mexico.  The  schol- 
arly tastes  of  Mr.  Avery,  cultivated  by  reading,  travel 
and  social  intercourse,  were  recognized,  by  the  Wes- 
leyan  University,  in  conferring  on  him,  in  1851,  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  He  married  Miss  Margaret 
C.,  daughter  of  Hon.  William  S.  Camp,  of  Middle- 
town,  Ct. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  359 

Philip  P.  Tapley,  one  of  the  great  business  men  of 
Lynn,  was  born  in  Rising  Sun,  Indiana,  November  10, 
1817,  and  died  in  Lynn,  where  he  had  come  in  child- 
hood, April  26,  1875.  He  was  a  member  and  trustee 
at  the  Common  Street  Church,  and  a  man  of  first-class 
business  capabilities.  For  many  years,  he  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Lynn  City  National  Bank.  As  a  leading 
manufacturer  of  morocco  and  kid,  he  did  much  to 
stimulate  the  business  of  the  city  and  accumulated 
some  half  million  of  dollars.  As  a  trustee  at  Wilbra- 
ham  he  was  influential  as  an  adviser  and  contributed 
liberally  to  the  funds  of  the  Academy.  He  served 
fourteen  years  on  the  board.  In  personal  appearance, 
he  was  above  the  medium  size,  well  proportioned  and 
gentlemanly  in  his  bearing,  giving  one  the  idea  of  a 
first-class,  solid,  reliable  business  man,  an  honor  at  once 
to  the  church  of  his  choice  and  the  city  in  which  he 
resided  and  made  his  fortune. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Cummings,  D.D.,  one  of  the  fore- 
most educators  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
was  born  in  Falmouth,  Me.,  March  3,  1817,  and  died 
in  Evanston,  May  7, 1890.  He  graduated  at  the  Wes- 
leyan  University  in  1840,  and,  at  the  close  of  his 
course,  spent  three  years  as  a  teacher  in  Amenia  Semi- 
nary and  three  additional  years  as  principal  of  the 
same.  In  1846  he  joined  the  New  England  Confer- 
ence where  he  filled  the  leading  pulpits.  In  1854  he 
received  the  title  of  D.D.  from  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, and  in  1866  he  received  the  same  from  Harvard 
and  LL.D.  from  the  Northwestern.  In  1853  he  was 
elected  to  the  chair  of  Systematic  Theology  in  the 
Biblical  Institute,  but  he  declined  the  honor.  In  1854 


S60 


HISTORY  OF 


he  was  elected  president  of  Genesee  College,  at  Lima, 
where  he  served  with  great  popularity  for  three  years, 
resigning  in  1857  to  accept  the  presidency  of  Wes- 
leyan  University  which  he  held  for  eighteen  years. 
For  two  years  thereafter  he  served  in  the  institution  as 
professor  of  Mental  Philosophy  and  Political  Economy. 
The  work  of  his  life  was  done  at  the  Wesleyan,  by 
increasing  the  funds  and  buildings  and  elevating  the 
status  of  the  institution.  He  was  the  first  graduate  to 
attain  the  presidency.  In  1878  he  returned  to  the 
pastorate,  in  which  he  was  popular  and  useful.  In 
1881  he  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  Northwestern. 
He  was  an  influential  member  of  the  General  Confer- 
ences of  1864,  187l>  and  1880.  An  able  and  loyal 
man,  he  performed  much  valuable  service  for  the 
church,  especially  in  the  department  of  education. 

During  the  year  1860  there  were  in  attendance  one 
hundred  and  eighty-five  different  students.  There 
were  four  graduates  from  the  ladies'  course.  They 
were,  Susan  J.  Barker,  who  became  the  wife  of  the 
Rev.  Benjamin  I.  Johnston,  of  the  New  England  Con- 
ference ;  Emma  A.  and  Ellen  A.  Ramsdell,  of  Thomp- 
son, Ct.;  and  Emma  E.,  daughter  of  Robert  R.  Wright, 
of  Wilbraham. 

Notwithstanding  the  aid  granted  by  the  State,  the 
debt  remained  a  chief  concern  with  the  trustees. 
The  interest  was  present  and  cumulative,  while  the 
avails  from  the  sale  of  Back  Bay  lands  were  future. 
The  Conference,  which  met  a  few  days  after  the  passage 
of  the  appropriation  act,  congratulated  itself  and  the 
Christian  public  upon  "  the  present  prosperity  and  effi- 
ciency of  the  school,  despite  the  depressing  circuin- 


THE  WESLETAN  ACADEMY  361 

stances  of  the  past  two  years,  and  upon  the  prospect  of 
its  speedy  relief  by  the  munificent  liberality  of  its 
friends  and  the  generous  assistance  of  the  State ;  yet, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  this  State  aid  will  become 
available  only  at  an  uncertain  and  somewhat  distant 
period,  and  in  view  of  the  rapid  accumulation  of  inter- 
est on  the  debt  of  the  institution,  we  would  urge  on  all 
concerned  the  imperative  necessity  of  the  immediate 
payment  of  all  subscriptions  made  for  the  relief  of  said 
institution,  and  that  even  those  subscriptions  made  to 
be  paid  in  separate  installments,  should  be  paid  at  once, 
where  such  payment  is  possible." 

In  accordance  with  this  suggestion,  Dr.  Rajonond 
continued  his  efforts  to  collect  the  subscriptions 
already  made  and  to  secure  new  ones ;  but,  at  the  same 
time,  he  determined  to  proceed  further  and  ask  the 
Legislature  of  1860  to  advance  the  money  on  the  grant 
made  the  preceding  year.  In  this  application  he  was 
successful.  The  Act  of  1859  was  modified  by  the  fol- 
lowing provision : — 

Resolved,  That  there  be  allowed  and  paid  from  the  treasury  of 
the  Commonwealth  on  April  1,  next,  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Corpora- 
tion of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  in  Wilbraham,  upon  the  order  of 
the  Corporation,  the  sum  of  $22,000  in  satisfaction  and  upon 
account  of  the  grant  made  to  said  Academy  by  Chapter  154  of  the 
Acts  of  1859;  and  provided  also  that  the  sum  of  $30,000  shall  be 
subscribed  by  individuals  as  a  contribution  to  the  funds  of  the 
Academy,  which  subscription  shall  be  satisfactory  to  the  Governor 
and  Council,  before  the  amount,  appropriated  by  the  first  Resolve, 
shall  be  paid. 

Eesolved,  That  the  Treasurer  and  Receiver  General  of  the 
Commonwealth  shall  forthwith  open  an  account  with  the  Treas- 
urer of  the  Corporation  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  in  Wilbraham, 
and  he  shall  charge  said  treasurer  with  said  advance  of  $22,000, 
and  shall  charge  him  with  interest  thereon,  semi-annually,  on 


362  HISTORY  OF 

October  1,  and  April  1,  in  each  year,  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent  per 
annum;  and  whenever,  by  the  provisions  of  said  Chapter  154  of 
1859,  any  portion  of  the  proceeds  of  sales  of  lands  in  the  Back 
Bay  becomes  due  to  the  Corporation  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  in 
Wilbraham,  the  portion  thus  due  shall  be  retained  by  the  Treas- 
urer of  the  Commonwealth  and  shall  be  credited  to  the  said 
Treasurer  of  the  said  Corporation,  in  the  account  aforesaid;  and 
interest  shall  be  credited  on  said  payments,  semi-annually,  on  the 
first  days  of  April  and  October,  in  each  year,  at  the  rate  of  five  per 
cent. 

Resolved,  That  whenever  the  full  sum  of  $25,000,  granted  to 
said  Academy,  shall  have  accrued  from  the  proceeds  of  sales  of 
lands  in  the  Back  Bay,  in  the  manner  provided  in  said  Chapter  154 
of  the  Acts  of  1859,  and  shall  have  been  credited  to  the  Treasurer 
of  the  Corporation  of  said  Academy,  in  the  account  established 
under  the  preceding  Resolve,  said  account  shall  be  closed,  and  the 
balance,  if  any,  due  said  Treasurer  of  said  Corporation,  shall  be 
paid  over  to  him,  on  the  order  of  the  Corporation ;  otherwise,  the 
payment  of  $22,000  shall  be  deemed  and  held  full  satisfaction  of 
the  grant  made  by  said  Chapter  154  and  of  all  claims  of  said  Cor- 
poration by  reason  thereof. 

Resolved,  That  these  Resolves  shall  not  take  effect  unless 
accepted  by  the  Corporation  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  in  Wilbra- 
ham, at  a  legal  meeting  thereof,  provided,  that  if  the  said  principal 
sum  of  $22,000,  or  any  part  thereof,  shall  not  have  accrued  from 
sales  of  lands  in  the  Back  Bay,  at  the  end  of  ten  years  from  the 
passage  of  these  Resolves,  then  the  Corporation  of  th  Wesleyan 
Academy,  in  Wilbraham,  shall  be  liable  to  pay,  without  interest, 
the  difference  between  said  principal  sum  of  $22,000  and  the 
amount  actually  realized  from  such  sales  of  lands,  on  demand  of 
the  Treasurer  of  the  Commonwealth. 

The  Resolves  were  approved  by  Governor  John  A. 
Andrew,  March  29,  1860.  The  provision  was  at  once 
accepted  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  the  $22,000 
were  received  from  the  Treasurer  of  the  Common- 
wealth. At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  trustees,  the 
treasurer  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  the  $22,000, 
which  had  been  paid  on  the  indebtedness.  After  this 


THE   WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  363 

payment,  the  debt  still  stood  at  $15,884.00  ;  but  to 
meet  this  debt,  subscriptions  had  been  obtained  to  the 
amount  of  $12,998.91,  nearly  sufficient  to  extinguish  it, 
and  thus  enable  them  to  enter  the  new  boarding-house 
untrammeled  by  any  financial  burden. 

1861. 

As  the  new  year  dawned,  the  interest  in  public 
events  increased.  Secession  was  in  progress,  and  the 
new  president  was  inaugurated  amid  threats  of  vio- 
lence. The  North  waited  in  suspense;  but,  at  the 
attack  on  Sumter,  there  was  an  uprising  of  patriotism 
through  all  the  free  States.  The  new  spirit  was  felt  in 
every  village  and  hamlet.  Soldiers  started  from  the 
Capital,  and  the  war  broke  in  full  force  through  the 
land.  Of  course,  this  state  of  things  in  the  country 
affected  the  school,  rousing  the  patriotic  spirit,  and 
bringing,  as  it  were,  interests  of  the  country  into 
the  seminary. 

The  changes  in  the  boards  of  instruction  and 
government  were  few.  The  Rev.  E.  O.  Haven,  D.D.,  a 
distinguished  educator,  then  editor  of  Ziori's  Herald, 
and  later  one  of  the  bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  elected  a  trustee.  As  he  was  not  often 
able  to  meet  with  the  board,  he  performed  but  little 
detail  work  for  the  institution  ;  but  the  influence  and 
occasional  words  of  so  distinguished  a  man  and  leader 
were  of  great  value  to  the  cause.  Dr.  Haven  was  at 
different  times  Principal  of  Amenia  Seminary,  Profes- 
sor and  President  of  Michigan  University,  and  Presi- 
dent of  Northwestern  University.  He  was  also  Secre- 


364  HISTORY  OF 

tary  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

In  the  department  of  music,  Simeon  Fuller,  a  person 
well  qualified  by  natural  taste  and  training  for  the  posi- 
tion, was  instructor.  Robert  O.  Sessions  was  employed 
as  steward  at  a  salary  of  four  hundred  dollars  per 
annum.  A  competent  and  faithful  servant  of  the  insti- 
tution, he  remained  at  his  post  four  years.  The  annual 
exhibition  was  an  occasion  of  more  than  usual  interest. 
The  war  notes,  heard  through  the  land,  were  echoed 
across  the  stage.  Lydia  A.  Gibbs,  of  Bridgewater, 
was  the  only  graduate  from  the  ladies'  course.  The 
students  by  aggregate  of  terms,  ran  up  to  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one. 

The  completion  of  Rich  Hall,  the  name  to  the  new 
boarding-house,  which  had  been  for  many  months  in 
process  of  erection,  was  the  leading  event  of  the  year 
in  the  history  of  the  Academy.  It  was  ready  for  occu- 
pancy at  the  opening  of  the  fail  term.  This  magni- 
ficent building,  unrivaled  for  elegance,  comfort  and 
convenience,  has  facilities  for  the  accommodation  of 
two  hundred  students.  It  is  not  surpassed  by  the 
boarding  hall  of  any  similar  institution  in  the  coun- 
try. Like  its  predecessor,  this  whole  structure  was 
built  of  brick,  with  brown  stone  trimmings,  at  a  cost  of 
$60,000.  In  architectural  taste  and  convenience,  it 
excels  all  the  other  buildings  of  the  group.  One  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet  front,  four  stories  high,  with  an  L 
one  hundred  feet,  three  stories  high,  all  averaging 
about  forty  feet  in  width,  the  building  contains  one 
hundred  rooms,  each  room  twelve  by  fifteen  feet.  The 
house  has  many  modern  conveniences.  It  is  heated  by 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  365 

steam.  An  abundant  supply  of  water  is  taken  to  each 
story  and  distributed  by  pipes  to  the  various  rooms. 
Public  bowls  and  bathing  tubs  are  also  arranged  on 
each  story.  It  was  claimed,  and  with  reason,  that  no 
more  perfect  structure  for  the  purpose,  had  ever  been 
erected.  Elegant  taste  is  combined  with  convenience. 
In  the  general  landscape,  Rich  Hall,  as  the  most  con- 
siderable structure  in  the  village,  forms  a  conspicuous 
and  striking  object,  observable  not  only  from  the 
highlands,  but  far  over  the  plain.  Long  may  it  remain 
to  afford  accommodation  to  successive  classes  of  stu- 
dents, who  may  resort  to  this  seat  of  learning  for  the 
purpose  of  storing  and  disciplining  the  mind,  and  to 
commemorate  the  courage,  faith,  patience  and  liberality 
of  the  noble  men  who  cooperated  to  secure  its  erection  ! 

1862. 

The  long  struggle  maintained  against  grave  obsta- 
cles, in  the  rebuilding  of  the  boarding  hall,  proved 
a  good  advertisement  of  the  school.  At  its  com- 
pletion near  the  opening  of  the  fall  term  of  '61,  the 
stream  of  attendance  rapidly  increased.  In  place  of  the 
one  hundred  and  fifty-two  of  the  spring  term,  were 
two  hundred  and  fourteen  in  the  fall,  filling  every  part 
of  the  new  building.  The  Conference  in  1862  rejoiced 
in  the  emergence  of  the  institution  "from  its  succession 
of  disasters,  strengthened  by  its  struggles  with  adver- 
sities, and  prepared  for  a  wider  sphere  of  usefulness" 
in  the  training  of  the  rising  generation.  The  board  of 
instruction  was  filled  with  strong,  earnest  and  experi- 
enced teachers,  devoting  the  energies  of  mature  life  to 
this  important  work.  To  make  known  to  the  public 


366  HISTORY  OF 

the  superb  accommodations  of  its  palatial  buildings, 
and  the  superiority  of  its  faculty  of  instruction,"  the 
Conference  suggested  further  advertising  through  the 
press,  that  our  youth  may  not  be  drawn  away,  by  ad- 
vertisements, to  institutions  offering  inferior  advan- 
tages. The  facilities  and  excellencies  of  "this  best 
appointed  Methodist  seminary  "  they  would  have  blaz- 
oned abroad. 

Edwin  B.  Harvey,  Truman  H.  Kempton  and  Philip 
B.  Shumway  entered  the  board  of  instruction,  all  effi- 
cient and  successful  teachers.  Edwin  B.  Harvey  was 
born  in  Deerfield,  N.H.,  April  4,  1834,  and  graduated 
at  Middletown  in  the  class  of  1859.  After  spending  a 
year  as  a  teacher  at  Troy  Conference  Academy,  and 
two  years  as  principal  of  the  Macedon  Academy,  he 
went  to  Wilbraham  in  1862,  where  he  spent  two  years 
as  an  instructor  in  Natural  Science.  In  1864  he 
studied  medicine  at  Harvard,  and  a  couple  of  years  later 
entered  on  a  successful  practice  in  Westboro,  Mass.  A 
thorough  scholar,  he  was  also  an  earnest  and  impres- 
sive teacher. 

During  his  five  years  at  Wilbraham,  Truman  H. 
Kempton  was  the  favorite  of  students  and  citizens. 
Active,  genial,  enthusiastic  in  the  pursuit  of  knowl- 
edge, he  was  adapted  to  instruct  and  guide  the  young 
committed  to  his  charge.  They  felt  the  power  of  his 
presence,  his  intensity,  his  animation,  his  electric  touch, 
as  well  as  the  force  of  his  words.  He  was  born  in 
Quebec,  November  14,  1840,  and  graduated  at  Middle- 
town  in  1863.  At  the  close  of  his  term  in  Wilbraham, 
he  became  principal  of  the  high  school  in  Jonesville, 
N.Y.  From  1869  to  1873,  he  was  principal  of  the  high 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  367 

school  in  Chicopee ;  and,  in  the  latter  year,  he  accepted 
the  Latin  chair  in  Boston  University.  In  1880  he  was 
transferred  to  the  professorship  of  Roman  and  Consti- 
tutional Law,  which  he  held  but  a  few  years. 

Edwin  B.  Shumway,  an  able  and  earnest  teacher, 
was  born  in  Burrillville,  R.I.,  June  6,  1836,  and  gradu- 
ated from  the  Wesley  an  University  in  1863.  In  1865 
he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Chicago,  and  four 
years  later  devoted  himself  to  railroad  business.  In 
1867  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Rev.  Dr.  Miner 
Raymond. 

There  were  this  year  four  hundred  and  twenty-one 
different  students  at  the  Academy.  Five  ladies  gradu- 
ated. They  were,  Juliette  A.  Bosworth  of  West  Spring- 
field; Jane  E.,  daughter  of  Rev.  D.  K.  Bannister; 
Mary  G.,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  O.  Dean,  and  later 
wife  of  Rev.  John  Peterson ;  Ellen  M.  Newell  of  South- 
bridge,  and  Mary  A.  Seaver  of  Palmer.  Mary  G. 
Dean  was  valedictorian.  Henry  T.  Eddy  was  the  only 
one  entering  Middletown.  He  joined  the  New  Eng- 
land Conference  in  1866,  and  died  the  following  Sep- 
tember at  twenty-six  years  of  age. 


368  HISTORY  Of 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE    FINAL     SERVICES    OF    MINER    RAYMOND    AT    THE 
WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 


1863. 

IN  1863  the  country  had  reached  the  darkest  period  in 
the  war.  Repeated  disasters  in  the  field  had  turned 
our  armies  back,  and  depressed  the  loyal  people.  But, 
notwithstanding  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  country, 
which  largely  affected  the  schools  of  the  land,  the  tide 
continued  full  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy.  The  at- 
tendance this  year  rose  to  six  hundred  and  ninety-three 
in  the  aggregate,  or  four  hundred  and  sixty  different 
students.  The  price  of  board  was  raised  from  two  dol- 
lars to  two  dollars  and  a  quarter  per  week,  with  an 
extra  charge  for  washing.  By  this  advance  some  were 
induced  to  go  outside  for  accommodation.  This  led  to 
the  adoption  of  a  rule  requiring  "all  students,  not 
residents  of  the  place,  nor  boarding  themselves,  and 
who  had  not  hitherto  boarded  in  private  families,  to 
board  in  the  boarding  house." 
In  the  ladies'  graduating  course  Anna  Howe  of 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  369 

Marlboro,  H.  Lizzie  Morgan  of  Clinton,  and  Rachel  R., 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Tupper,  received  diplo- 
mas. An  item  of  interest  this  year  was  the  centennial 
celebration  of  the  incorporation  of  the  town.  The  ad- 
dress, by  the  Rev.  Rufus  P.  Stebbins,  D.D.,  a  native  of 
Wilbraham  and  a  student  under  Dr.  Fisk,  was  deliv- 
ered in  Fisk  Hall.  Judge  Morris,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five,  presided;  and  the  orator,  from  a  brief,  spoke  to 
the  delight  of  the  audience  for  more  than  two  hours. 
At  the  close  of  a  sumptuous  repast,  in  the  new  Rich 
Hall,  briefer  addresses  were  made  by  Judge  Merrick  of 
Louisiana,  the  Rev.  Horatio  Stebbins,  a  brother  of  the 
orator,  Judge  Morris,  Amos  B.  Merrill  and  others. 

Francis  J.  Warner,  Lewis  H.  Taylor  and  Horace 
Smith  were  added  to  the  Board  of  Trustees.  The  first 
was  a  native  of  Wilbraham,  and  son  of  a  former  trustee, 
a  very  worthy  man  who  served  the  institution  only  two 
years. 

Lewis  H.  Taylor,  an  energetic  and  successful  busi- 
ness man,  was  born  in  Enfield,  Ct.,  December  27,  1822, 
and  died  in  Springfield. 

Early  removing  to  Springfield,  he  engaged  in  the 
paper  business.  For  many  years  the  firm  of  "  Green- 
leaf  &  Taylor  "  did  a  large  and  lucrative  business.  On 
his  retirement  from  the  firm  he  purchased  the  Spring- 
field Union,  which,  under  his  control,  took  on  new 
vigor  and  extended  its  circulation.  What  many  prophe- 
sied would  prove  a  failure  in  the  hands  of  a  man 
totally  unused  to  newspaper  management,  turned  out  a 
great  success,  the  improvement  in  the  paper  enabling 
him,  at  a  later  date,  to  sell  out  at  a  large  advance.  He 
had  demonstrated  the  possibility  of  running  a  paper 


370  HISTORY  OF 

successfully  by  the  side  of  the  Republican.     This  had 
not  hitherto  been  believed. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  a  prominent  Methodist.  At  Pyn- 
cheon  Street  he  was  trustee,  steward,  and  long  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school.  In  the  formation  of 
Grace  Church  he  was  one  of  the  leaders  and  chief  sup- 
porters, holding  therein  the  offices  of  steward,  trustee 
and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  As  a  trustee 
of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  he  performed  a  large  amount 
of  faithful  service,  and  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the 
funds  of  the  institution.  Generous  and  catholic  in  his 
sympathies,  he  not  only  aided  his  own  denomination, 
but  gave  much  to  objects  little  known  to  the  public. 

1864. 

The  year  1864  remains  memorable  as  the  last  in 
which  Dr.  Raymond  retained  control  of  the  institution. 
It  was  a  year  of  marked  prosperity.  The  storm  of  the 
civil  war,  by  which  the  country  had  been  desolated, 
had  reached  a  crisis,  and  through  the  rifts  in  the  cloud 
light  began  to  break.  The  North  was  animated  with 
fresh  hope.  The  Rebellion  would  certainly  be  subdued. 
The  joyous  and  exultant  temper  of  the  country  began 
to  be  felt  in  the  school.  The  price  of  board  was  now 
raised  to  three  dollars  per  week.  The  advance  in  price 
did  not  check  the  attendance,  as  there  was  an  advance  of 
one  hundred  on  the  previous  year.  The  aggregate  rose 
to  eight  hundred,  or  five  hundred  and  eighty-six  differ- 
ent students. 

The  closing  of  the  academic  year  was  an  occasion  of 
much  interest.  Besides  the  large  number  of  students, 
many  of  the  friends  of  the  institution  were  present  to 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  371 

attend  the  examinations  and  annual  exhibition.  With 
the  exercises  of  the  latter  full  eight  hours  were  occu- 
pied. Many  of  the  addresses  possessed  superior  merit, 
and  were  delivered  in  an  easy  and  animated  manner. 

At  the  close  of  the  morning  exhibition  the  principal 
introduced  Governor  Andrew,  who  had  come  down 
from  Easthampton,  and  who  sat  patiently  through  the 
eight  hours  of  morning  and  afternoon  exercises.  "  The 
governor  responded  briefly  but  happily,  making  the 
lateness  of  the  hour  the  excuse  for  his  brevity.  He 
expressed  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  this  prosperous 
school,  and  of  all  similar  institutions  in  the  State.  He 
alluded  to  his  pleasant  visit  of  two  years  ago,  and 
regretted  his  inability  to  be  present  last  year.  Par- 
ticular pleasure  was  expressed  that  he  could  hear  the 
young  ladies  this  time,  a  privilege  he  did  not  have 
before.  He  complimented  them  highly  on  their  per- 
formances, and  spoke  particularly  of  the  ingenuity  and 
taste  displayed  in  the  selection  of  titles  for  their  essays, 
something  out  of  the  ordinary  course ;  and,  if  some  of 
them  were  slightly  transcendental,  instead  of  being 
blamed  they  were  rather  to  be  praised.  The  absence  of 
stereotyped  phrases,  and  the  use  of  fresh  and  uncom- 
monplace  words  was  also  noticeable,  as  well  as  the 
cheerful  and  hopeful  tone,  so  different  from  the  over- 
sentimentality  often  displayed  on  such  occasions.  It 
is  a  mistake  to  suppose,  in  emerging  from  childhood 
and  leaving  school,  a  person  has  passed  his  happiest 
days.  The  older  we  grow  the  happier  we  are.  From 
his  own  personal  experience  he  could  testify  to  this, 
and  he  believed  it  was  true  universally.  We  do  not 
leave  happiness  behind,  but  it  is  always  alidad  of  us ; 


372  HISTORY  OP 

especially  to  the  educated  man  and  woman  who  can 
converse  with  books,  and  who  have  opened  before  them 
the  delights  of  literature  and  science,  is  this  true. 
Such  have  always  a  shrine  where  they  can  retire  from 
the  cares,  worries  and  losses  of  life  and  be  free  men 
and  women. 

"  Then,  warming  up  as  he  spoke  of  the  future  of  the 
young  ladies,  the  Governor  said  there  was  nothing 
stronger,  or  more  to  be  relied  on  for  happiness,  or  was 
at  the  same  time  so  lovely  and  beautiful,  as  domestic 
love ;  and,  in  an  eloquent  outburst  of  emotion,  he 
described  the  love  of  the  daughter  to  her  parents,  the 
sister  to  her  brother,  the  mother  to  her  son,  and  the 
heaven-born  love  of  the  wife  to  her  husband,  and  assured 
the  young  ladies  that  nowhere  is  such  happiness  and 
power  to  be  found  as  at  home,  where  woman  sits  heaven- 
crowned,  unquestioned  and  serene.  He  also  spoke  of 
the  power  of  woman  for  evil,  relating  the  anecdote  of 
the  minister,  who  illustrated  this  point  by  the  parable 
of  the  rich  man's  feast.  One  who  was  wanted  could 
not  go  because  he  had  just  bought  a  farm ;  another  had 
bought  five  yoke  of  oxen  and  must  prove  them;  and 
still  another  had  married  a  wife  and  could  not  come. 
Thus  you  see  one  woman  has  as  much  power  to  do 
wrong  as  five  yoke  of  oxen.  The  governor  then  com- 
plimented and  congratulated  the  teachers  on  their 
labors  and  successes  in  bringing  up  and  keeping  up  the 
institution,  and  closed  by  reciting  a  translation  of  the 
beautiful  poem  of  Schiller  entitled  '  Longing,'  which, 
he  said,  came  nearer  than  anything  else  to  the  feelings 
of  those  about  to  graduate."* 

*  Springfield  Republican- 


THE  WESLEJAN  ACADEMY.  373 

At  the  close  of  the  exhibition,  eight  in  course  received 
diplomas.  They  were,  Josephine  Evans  of  Evauston ; 
Mary  E.  and  Alraira  C.  Holman  of  Salem,  Oregon  ; 
M.  Isabella  Morgan  of  Chesterfield ;  Sarah  A.  Thomp- 
son of  Litchfield,  Ct;  Sarah  A.  Tenney  of  Fisherville, 
N.H.;  Anna  A.  White  of  Hinsdale,  N.Y.;  Sarah  M. 
Woodward  of  Keene,  N.H.  Robert  M.  Cumnock  and 
George  B.  Dusenberre  entered  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity. 

But  the  event  of  this  anniversary  was  the  resigna- 
tion of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Raymond,  who  had  held  his  posi- 
tion for  sixteen  years.  Under  date  of  June  28,  he  sent 
the  following  note  to  the  trustees  then  in  session :  — 

DEAB  SIBS,  —  The  undersigned  having  been  elected  to  the  chair 
of  Systematic  Theology  in  Garret  Biblical  Institute,  and  having 
accepted  the  same,  hereby  resigns  his  office  as  principal  of  the 
Wesleyan  Academy;  this  resignation  to  take  effect  immediately, 
or  as  soon  as  the  duties  of  the  present  term  are  performed. 

M.  RAYMOND. 

The  sentiment  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  on  the 
occasion,  are  expressed  in  the  following  resolutions  : 
"Resolved,  That,  in  accepting  the  resignation  of  Rev. 
Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  as  principal  of  the  Wesleyan 
Academy,  we  do  so  with  a  deep  sense  of  the  loss  we 
sustain  as  the  guardians  of  its  interests,  and  also  of  the 
grave  and  important  responsibility  imposed  on  us 
thereby  of  providing  a  suitable  successor. 

"  That  the  long-continued,  faithful  and  efficient  ser- 
vices of  Dr.  Raymond  as  teacher,  and  especially  as 
principal  of  the  Academy,  entitle  him  to  the  warmest 
admiration  and  gratitude  of  our  church,  and  of  the 


374  SISTORY  OP 

community   as   well   as   of   the   trustees,  patrons   and 
friends  of  the  institution. 

"  That,  in  his  removal  to  a  new  and  distant  field  of 
labor,  he  will  go  accompanied  with  the  earnest  affec- 
tion, prayers  and  benedictions  of  his  numerous  attached 
friends  in  and  out  of  the  institution ;  and  we  most 
cordially  commend  him  to  the  hearty  fellowship  of  the 
community  with  which  he  will  labor,  and  to  whose 
welfare  he  will  devote  his  accumulated  weight  of 
wisdom  and  energy  as  a  minister  and  teacher." 

The  term  of  Dr.  Raymond  at  Wilbraham  is  the  most 
important  period  in  the  history  of  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy. It  is  the  period  of  rehabilitation,  improvement 
and  enlargement.  The  quickened  and  broader  life  of 
our  people  demanded,  in  our  educational  facilities,  a 
more  adequate,  material  expression,  while  their  advance 
in  taste  as  well  as  means  made  possible  and  desirable 
a  more  attractive  and  better  furnished  institution  of 
learning.  To  no  one  was  this  want  more  evident  than 
to  Dr.  Raymond.  He  saw  this  to  be  the  next  thing  in 
order;  and,  what  others  did  not  clearly  discern,  he 
discovered  the  way  to  secure  this  desirable  result.  To 
no  other  individual  is  the  Academy  so  deeply  indebted 
for  its  enlarged  prosperity  and  usefulness  as  to  Miner 
Raymond.  Others  performed  well  their  parts  in  ordi- 
nary times ;  he,  coming  to  the  front  in  a  peculiar  and 
critical  hour,  excelled  them  in  the  comprehension  of 
the  situation  and  in  the  facility  with  which  he  availed 
himself  of  its  opportunities.  He  found  the  Academy, 
after  the  fire,  in  a  depressed  condition;  he  lifted  it,  as 
with  the  strength  of  a  giant,  to  a  high  and  commanding 
vantage  ground.  At  his  magic  touch  the  whole  scene 


THE  WESLEY Atf  ACADEMY.  375 

changed.  The  group  of  dilapidated  wooden  buildings, 
in  use  at  his  advent,  became  palaces  of  brick,  roomy, 
elegant  and  well  furnished  for  the  accommodation  of  a 
large  number  of  students.  Of  the  past  principals,  no 
one  remained  at  his  post  so  long,  no  one  made  his 
presence  so  powerfully  or  widely  felt.  In  an  impor- 
tant sense  he '  created  a  new  institution ;  the  name 
remained,  almost  the  whole  material  substance  became 
new.  To  the  property,  valued  when  he  began  at 
$25,000,  he  added  a  round  $100,000,  making  it  one  of 
the  best  equipped  and  most  attractive  academies  in  the 
land. 

The  removal  opened  to  him  a  fresh  and  attractive 
field  in  the  wider  West.  He  entered  into  new  connec- 
tions. The  study  of  theology,  to  which  he  was  to 
devote  himself,  was  no  new  theme  to  him.  For  many 
years  he  had  considered  profoundly  the  leading  prob- 
lems of  the  gospel ;  and  their  treatment,  in  scientific 
form,  could  not  fail  to  please  one  who  delighted  to 
teach  and  who  had  so  often  expounded  popularly  and  lu- 
minously those  grand  themes  of  the  gospel  in  the  pulpit. 
As  a  fruit  of  his  labors  in  the  West,  we  have  his 
volumes  on  theology,  abounding  in  clear  and  forcible 
statement,  in  felicitous  exposition  and  logical  and  con- 
clusive reasoning,  adapted  to  perpetuate  through  com- 
ing generations  the  memory  of  one  who  thought  so 
justly,  and  who  labored  with  so  high  a  purpose.  But, 
whatever  the  estimate  of  his  later  labors  by  voice  and 
pen,  his  services  in  connection  with  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy will  remain  conspicuous,  and  in  the  institution,  re- 
stored, enlarged  and  beautified  through  his  faith,  cour- 
age, and  persevering  labors,  in  its  group  of  noble 


376  HISTORY  OF 

educational  buildings,  will  be  found  his  proud  and 
enduring  monument. 

The  committee,  to  which  was  referred  the  nomina- 
tion of  a  successor,  reported  for  the  consideration  of 
the  board  the  names  of  Nelson  E.  Cobleigh,  then  editor 
of  Zion's  Herald,  William  R.  Clark  and  Gilbert  Haven. 
On  the  first  ballot  Dr.  Cobleigh  was  elected;  but,  as 
he  declined  the  honor,  the  final  selection  of  a  principal 
went  over  to  a  special  meeting  of  the  board. 

During  Dr.  Raymond's  long  term  of  service,  a  con- 
siderable list  of  young  ladies  and  young  gentlemen, 
whose  later  history  is  full  of  interest,  passed  under 
his  instruction,  to  only  a  few  of  whom  we  can  here 
refer. 

Ira  G.  Bid  well,  a  guileless  man,  became  a  famous 
preacher  in  the  New  England  Conference ;  John  R. 
Buck  studied  law,  and  was  chosen  a  member  of  Con- 
gress ;  R.  L.  Cumnock  became  a  famous  elocutionist 
and  has  been  connected  with  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity; W.  H.  Daniels  is  known  as  a  preacher  and  author ; 
Benjamin  F.  De  Costa  became  an  Episcopal  bishop  in 
New  York;  Everett  O.  Fisk  and  Joseph  K.  Gill  are 
educators.  George  Prentice  received  fresh  inspiration 
at  Wilbraham.  Here,  too,  Joseph  Pullman  prepared 
for  college,  as  also  George  E.  Reed,  the  eminent  presi- 
dent of  Dickinson  College.  Charles  Pratt,  the  Brook- 
lyn millionaire  was  there  in  1848,  with  Nelson  Stutson, 
a  young  man  of  brilliant  talents,  who  died  too  young, 
and  George  and  Nicholas  T.  Whitaker,  both  of  whom 
entered  the  New  England  Conference.  Alvin  P.  Hovey, 
who  was  there  in  1856,  became  a  member  of  Congress 
and  governor  of  Indiana.  Monroe  Nichols  engaged  in 


Rev.   GEORGE    E.   REED.    D  D  ,    Pres'dent  of  Dickinson  College. 


IRA    S.   JOHNSON,    Esq.,   Student  in    1853. 


TSE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  377 

teaching;  Alpheus  P.  Martin  became  mayor  of  Boston  ; 
and  Frederick  W.  Pitkin  studied  law  and  was  elected 
governor  of  Colorado. 

Ira  S.  Johnson,  a  conspicuous  business  man  of 
Canaan,  N.Y.,  and  a  student  in  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
in  1852  and  1853,  was  born  in  New  Lebanon,  N.Y., 
September  9,  1834,  and  died  in  Washington,  D  C., 
March  6,  1890.  He  resided  on  a  large  estate  bequeathed 
to  him  by  his  uncle,  Ira  Sherman,  managing  his  lands, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  engaging  in  various  other  lines  of 
business  in  and  out  of  town.  His  knowledge  of  men 
and  things,  his  admirable  judgment  and  incorruptible 
integrity  made  him  the  foremost  citizen  of  his  own 
town,  and  an  important  factor  in  the  business  and 
politics  of  the  county.  For  many  years  he  was  a  large 
wool  buyer,  either  on  his  own  account,  or  as  agent  for 
manufacturing  corporations,  or  for  firms  in  New  York 
or  Boston.  Though  he  never  accepted  office  for  him- 
self, he  was  a  sagacious  and  influential  politician  in  the 
Republican  party,  exhibiting  insight  and  gifts  of  man- 
agement which  might  have  taken  him  far  up  in  the 
scale,  if  only  he  had  chosen  to  move  in  that  direction. 
In  the  politics  of  his  congressional  district,  he  was  a 
most  influential  man,  having  power  to  help  or  hinder 
materially,  any  one  who  aspired  to  office  therein.  While 
far-seeing  and  sagacious,  he  was  just  and  honorable, 
invariably  standing  for  what  he  judged  the  best  meas- 
ures and  men.  As  a  friend,  neighbor  and  citizen,  he 
was  highly  respected  by  all,  and  his  death  created  a 
void  which  could  not  be  readily  filled.  In  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  he  held  a 
prominent  place,  and  he  was  deeply  lamented  by  his 


378  msTORf  o#  L^1'' 

fellow-members.     In  all  respects  he  was  one  of  the  men 
no  community  could  afford  to  lose. 

There  were  some  famous  women  at  Wilbraham  under 
Dr.  Raymond:  Harriet  C.  Merrick,  later  the  wife  of 
Dr.  William  F.  Warren,  president  of  Boston  Univer- 
sity ;  Julia  F.  Rider,  who  remembered  her  alma  mater 
in  a  bequest  of  one  thousand  dollars ;  Harriet  N.  Sikes, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  John  H.  Mansfield ; 
Olivia  M.  Olmstead,  who  married  Rev.  George  W. 
Mansfield;  Ellen  F.  Derby,  later  Mrs.  George  Prentice; 
Philipine  H.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jacoby ;  and  Diantha  A. 
Kilgore,  who  became  the  first  wife  of  Bishop  Henry  W. 
Warren. 


\rEsLEYAir  ACADEMY.  379 


Iperiofc  Him. 

2.     ®I)e  Qibntinistration  of  tf}c  Hen.  (Ebroarb  Cooke, 

D  D. 

1864-1874. 


Rev.   EDWARD    COOKE  ,    D.D, 


TEE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  381 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE   FIRST   YEAR    OF    EDWARD    COOKE    AT    THE    WES- 
LEYAN   ACADEMY. 


1864. 

THE  first  matter  for  the  trustees  to  consider  in  their 
special  session,  was  the  election  of  a  principal  of 
the  Academy.  After  a  careful  survey  of  the  field  and  a 
study  of  the  qualifications  of  several  candidates,  they 
selected  as  the  one  they  deemed  best  qualified  for  the 
position,  the  Rev.  Edward  Cooke,  D.D.  Besides  his 
literary  qualifications,  they  valued  his  experience  in 
managing  literary  institutions. 

Edward  Cooke  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  N.H.,  Janu- 
ary 19,  1812,  and  died  in  Newton,  Mass.,  September  18, 
1888.  He  prepared  for  College  in  the  Maine  Wesleyan 
Seminary  and  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in 
the  class  of  1838,  containing  such  men  as  Timothy  D. 
Lincoln,  Bostwick  Hawley,  Daniel  L.  Harris,  Loren  L. 
Knox,  Leonidas  Rosser  and  James  M.  Shafter.  After 
graduation,  he  spent  two  years  in  teaching  at  Amenia. 
In  1840,  he  was  chosen  principal  of  Pennington  Semi- 


382  HISTORY  OF 

nary,  N.J.,  where  he  remained  seven  years,  giving 
entire  satisfaction  to  the  authorities,  insomuch,  that  he 
was  invited  to  return  after  an  absence  of  two  years. 
While  yet  in  the  seminary,  he  united  with  the  New 
Jersey  Conference  and  in  1847  was  transferred  to  the 
New  England  Conference  where  he  took  leading  work 
at  Saugus,  Charlestown,  South  Boston,  and  at  Hanover 
Street,  Boston,  where  he  made  a  brilliant  opening. 
This  was,  at  the  time,  one  of  our  largest  churches,  requir- 
ing in  the  pastor  much  labor  and  constant  attention  to 
details,  for  which  Dr.  Cooke  was  so  amply  qualified  by 
both  physical  force  and  versatile  pastoral  gifts.  In  the 
midst  of  these  labors,  he  was  invited  to  take  charge  of 
an  important  educational  enterprise,  the  Lawrence 
University,  founded  by  Amos  Lawrence  and  his  son 
Amos  A.  Lawrence  as  early  as  1848.  During  the  six 
and  a  half  years  Dr.  Cooke  spent  there,  he  organized 
the  university.  He  also  raised  the  funds  for  the  Apple- 
ton  Library  and  the  Lee  Claflin  Endowment  of  the 
Presidential  Chair.  After  his  retirement,  he  was 
invited  to  return,  but  other  duties  prevented.  For  two 
years  he  served  on  the  Board  of  Regents  for  Normal 
Schools  in  Wisconsin.  In  1859,  he  returned  to  the 
pastorate,  and  two  years  later  was  stationed  at  Harvard 
Street,  Cambridge,  and  then  went  to  Meridian  Street, 
East  Boston,  whence  he  passed  to  Wilbraham.  After 
the  close  of  his  ten  years  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  he 
performed  a  large  amount  of  work,  as  President  of 
Claflin  University  at  Orangeburg,  S.C.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Conferences  of  1856,  1860  and  1880. 
He  received  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1854  from 
McKendree  College,  and  the  next  year  from  Harvard. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY. 

He  married  Miss  Mary  L.  Emery,  July  29,  1839.  Of 
this  marriage  were  Josephine  E.,  born  September  12, 
1340  ;  Wilbur  F.,  born  February  17, 1842,  died  October 
21,  1842;  Mary  Eliza,  born  July  26,  1845,  married 
Robert  R.  Wright,  Jr. 

Associated  with  him  in  the  board  of  instruction  at 
the  opening  of  his  term  were  Simeon  F.  Chester,  Tru- 
man H.  Kimpton,  Lorenzo  White  and  Thomas  B. 
Wood.  Isabella  H.  Binney  resumed  her  former  place 
as  preceptress  and  instructor  in  French  and  Drawing. 
As  music  teacher,  Ellen  Dow  was  assisted  by  Miss  Eva 
M.  Wells. 

Lorenzo  White,  well  known  as  a  clergyman  and 
author,  and  as  teacher  for  four  years  in  the  Wesleyan 
Academy,  was  born  in  Granby,  Mass.,  May  9,  1821. 
Educated  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  he  joined  the 
Providence  Conference  in  1851  and  was  transferred  to 
the  New  England  Conference  in  1855,  where  he  filled 
several  important  charges.  After  his  service  at  Wilbra- 
ham,  he  was  principal  (1875)  at  Montpelier,  Vt.,  and 
managed  for  some  years  a  private  academy  at  New 
Salem,  Mass. 

Mr.  White  has  struggled  all  his  life  with  frail  health. 
In  spite  of  this  sharp  thorn,  he  has  contrived  to  do  a 
vast  amount  of  work,  both  as  a  student  and  preacher. 
Ill  health  prevented  his  graduating  from  college  where 
he  entered,  but  did  not  prevent  a  large  amount  of  pri- 
vate study.  With  a  sharp,  quick,  accurate  mind,  he  is 
qualified  to  master  whatever  subject  he  undertakes,  and 
was  adapted  by  his  clear  and  fruitful  intellect  to 
become  an  instructor.  He  draws  hair  lines  and  makes 
nice  distinctions.  He  delights  in  metaphysics  arid 


384  HISTORY  OF 

mathematics.  At  Wilbraham,  the  prophet  was  at  home, 
but  not  without  honor  as  a  true,  good,  manly  man. 

Besides  various  articles  in  the  periodical  press,  he  is 
author  of  an  essay  on  "Systematic  Beneficence,"  the 
best  one  of  the  three  which  took  prizes  and  were  pub- 
lished together.  It  is  one  of  the  bits  of  religious  liter- 
ature which  deserves  to  live.  He  married,  in  1849, 
Elizabeth  Babcock,  of  Chester,  Mass.  He  married,  sec- 
ond, Sarah  F.  Latham,  of  Northfield,  Vt. 

Thomas  B.  Wood,  an  earnest  student  and  enthusiastic 
teacher,  was  born  in  LaFayette,  Ind.,  March  17,  1844, 
and  from  his  cradle  cherished  a  love  of  learning.  At 
the  age  of  twenty,  he  graduated  from  the  Wesleyan 
University  with  honor,  passing  at  once  to  Wilbraham 
where  he  spent  three  years,  teaching  in  the  department 
of  Natural  Science.  He  made  a  reputation  as  a  teacher, 
and  bore  away  the  love  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Ellen  Dow,  of  Westfield,  July  23,  1867,  and 
went  to  South  America  where  he  has  labored  success- 
fully as  a  missionary  and  a  teacher.  In  1873,  he  acted 
as  United  States  Consul  at  Rosario,  and  in  1874-6  was 
Professor  of  Political  Econonfy  and  Constitutional  Law 
in  the  National  College  at  Buenos  Ayres,  and  in  1876 
was  transferred  to  the  chair  of  Astronomy  and  Physics 
in  the  same  institution. 

Dr.  Cooke  had  the  advantage  of  coming  in  when  the 
tide  was  nearly  at  flood.  The  new  buildings  and  the 
agitation  for  several  years  in  raising  money  for  improve- 
ments and  for  the  liquidation  of  the  debt,  had  served  as 
admirable  advertisements  to  draw  students.  They  came 
from  all  sides  and  in  larger  numbers  than  ever.  The 
fear  that  the  change  of  principal  would  reduce  the  num- 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  385 

bers  was  natural.  The  great  success  of  the  former 
years  was  so  evidently  the  work  of  one  man  that  it  was 
easy  to  doubt,  when  he  was  removed,  whether  the  high 
tide  could  continue.  The  first  term  showed  that  the 
impulse  communicated  to  the  school  by  the  former  man- 
ager continued  in  full  force. 

There  was,  at  the  same  time,  a  certain  disadvantage 
in  coming  in  at  the  flood.  The  tide  could  rise  but  little 
higher.  And  then  the  inevitable  turn  was  ahead.  To 
keep  the  numbers  up  is  nearly  as  hard  as  to  raise  them 
at  first.  Dr.  Cooke  was  certainly  fortunate  in  keeping 
the  school  full  during  the  earlier  half  of  his  term.  To 
secure  this  end,  he  advertised  in  various  ways.  He  was 
able,  also,  to  devote  constant  attention  to  internal  man- 
agement. In  his  constant  effort  to  raise  money,  Dr. 
Raymond  was  necessarily  absent  for  long  periods  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  school ;  for,  however  excellent  his 
associates,  there  was  no  such  powerful  presence  in  the 
Academy  as  that  of  the  principal.  By  care  and  unre- 
mitting effort,  the  gain  made  under  a  preceding  admin- 
istration was  advanced  under  the  new. 

1865. 

The  attendance  for  the  year  was  five  hundred  and 
fifty-seven,  as  against  five  hundred  and  eighteen  of  the 
preceding  year,  a  most  gratifying  advance.  Not  only 
was  the  school  full,  but  large  numbers  completed  full 
courses  of  study;  there  were  eleven  in  the  ladies'  course 
this  year.  They  were,  Helen  A.  Handy,  Bloomy  Holden, 
Ellen  Holden,  Louisa  J.  Jillson,  Christine  Ladd,  Rosa 
P.  Merrill,  Elizabeth  J.  Steele,  Clara  M.  Lord,  Georgia 
A.  Parker,  Sarah  D.  Tupper  and  Ellen  A.  Whitman.  Of 


386  HISTORY  OF 

these,  Ellen  Holden  was  valedictorian.  From  the 
classical  course,  John  R.  Gushing,  Tamerlane  P.  Marsh, 
Caleb  T.  Winchester,  Alfred  Noon,  George  E.  Reed 
and  Frank  D.  Porter  went  to  Middletown;  Raymond 

F.  Hoi  way  graduated  at  Harvard ;  Gilbert  C.  Osgood 
went  to  Boston  University ;  Luther  E.  Barnes,  Daniel 

G.  Hill,  C.  M.  Russell,  Edward  Senior  and  Samuel  E. 
Wood  completed  the  course  and  did  not  enter  college. 
Of  these,  George  E.  Reed  became  an  eloquent  preacher 
and  is  now  president  of  Dickinson  College,  and  Charles 
T.  Winchester  is  an  able  and  popular  professor  in  Wes- 
leyan  University.     Gushing,  Hoi  way,  Noon  and  Osgood 
are  all  honored  members  of  the  New  England  Conference. 

The  Conference  took  an  encouraging  view  of  the  sit- 
uation. They  say:  "  We  are  happy  to  learn  that  this 
oldest  educational  institution  of  our  church  has  enjoyed 
during  the  past  year,  more  than  its  usual  success.  At 
the  close  of  the  spring  term  (1864),  Dr.  Raymond 
resigned  his  position  after  sixteen  years  of  earnest  and 
successful  labor.  A  successor  was  immediately  secured 
upon  whose  appointment  the  friends  and  patrons  of  the 
Academy  may  well  congratulate  themselves.  A  better 
selection  could  not,  probably,  have  been  made.  Already 
he  has  more  than  met  the  expectations  of  his  friends. 
The  faculty  is  able,  vigorous  and  devoted.  A  higher 
grade  of  scholarship,  especially  in  the  classical  depart- 
ment now  obtains.  Its  facilities  for  accomplishing  its 
ends,  unsurpassed  by  any  similar  institution  in  New 
England,  commend  it  to  the  liberal  patronage  of  the 
whole  public,  and  particularly  to  the  Methodist  com- 
munity. The  property  of  the  school  is  valued  at  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  thousand  dollars,  upon  which  there 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  387 

is  a  debt  of  twenty-four  thousand  dollars.  The  board- 
ing house,  during  the  early  part  of  the  year,  failed,  on 
account  of  increased  prices,  to  pay  expenses."  The 
committee  record  with  gratitude  the  fact  "  that  for  niost 
of  the  year,  a  gracious  religious  interest  has  pervaded 
the  school,  and  nearly  one  hundred  have  been  converted 
to  God.  With  so  much  to  encourage  and  inspire,  they 
find  the  removal  of  the  debt  and  the  enlargement  of  the 
library  still  to  be  pressing  wants. 

The  debt  was  the  curious  heritage  coming  down  from 
the  former  administration.  It  was  supposed  as  the  com- 
pletion of  Rich  Hall  approached  that  nearly  enough  had 
been  subscribed  to  cancel  all  indebtedness.  But  this 
was  not  true.  In  some  way,  at  the  last,  there  was  a 
deficit,  the  size  of  which  the  writer  has  not  been  able  to 
ascertain.  The  Conference,  as  we  have  seen,  set  it 
down  at  twenty-four  thousand  dollars;  but  that  was 
designed  to  be  a  mere  approximation,  more  or  less. 
Some  place  it  as  high  as  thirty  thousand  dollars  ;  others, 
who  were  intimate  with  the  affairs  of  the  institution, 
put  it  down  to  sixteen  thousand  or  seventeen  thou- 
sand dollars.  Perhaps  if  we  place  it  at  about  twenty 
thousand  dollars  we  should  not  be  far  from  the  truth. 

In  1865,  Edward  Cooke  and  Edward  F.  Porter  were 
elected  trustees,  the  former  being  chosen  treasurer  of 
the  board.  He  continued  a  member  of  the  corporation 
until  1879.  Edward  F.  Porter,  a  leading  business  man 
of  Boston  and  an  honored  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  was  very  serviceable  to  the  institu- 
tion. Usually  present  at  the  meetings  of  the  board,  his 
practical  suggestions  and  wise  counsels  were  inucli 
relied  upon  by  his  associates.  For  ten  years,  from  1871 


388  HISTORY  OF 

to  1881,  he  was  president  of  the  board,  and,  of  course, 
his  position  gave  him  a  leading  part  in.  the  management 
of  the  affairs  of  the  Academy. 

David  Ward  Northrup,  who  came  in  as  a  teacher  this 
year,  was  born  in  Sherman,  Ct.,  February  19,  1844,  and 
graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1868.  He 
taught  at  Wilbraham  before  graduation.  Later  he 
taught  at  Fort  Edward  and  studied  law  in  Albany  and 
became  a  leading  member  of  the  bar  at  Middletown, 
Ct.  From  1873  to  1881  he  was  an  influential  member 
of  the  Legislature.  As  a  teacher  in  the  Academy,  he  is 
favorably  remembered.  Helen  A.  Handy  taught  Eng- 
lish and  French,  and  Laura  M.  Bryant  served  a  single 
year  in  the  English  department.  Miss  Bryant  returned 
in  1867  and  taught  with  great  success,  until  1871,  the 
Higher  English  and  mathematics.  Hattie  Whipple 
assisted  on  the  piano,  and  Hattie  E.  Wells  gave  atten- 
tion to  physical  culture.  Mrs.  E.  T.  H.  Putnam  took 
the  place  of  Mrs.  Binney  as  preceptress,  serving  a  sin- 
gle year.  The  commercial  department,  designed  to  aid 
students  in  preparing  for  practical  business,  was  this 
year  organized  by  W.  F.  Lamb,  who  continued  at  the 
head  down  to  1881.  The  value  of  his  services  may  be 
estimated  by  the  length  of  time  he  was  allowed  to  hold. 
To  a  deep  and  permanent  enthusiasm  in  the  cause,  he 
added  unremitted  exertions  to  build  up  his  department 
and  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  a  large  number  of 
students  pass  under  his  training. 

The  steward  chosen  this  year  was  E.  E.  Warfield, 
who  was  assisted  in  the  house  management  by  Mrs. 
Warfield  and  Mrs.  H.  G.  Arnold,  who  gave  great  satis- 
faction as  matron  for  three  years. 


THE  WE8LEYAN  ACAbEMY.  389 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE  HIGH   WATER  MARK  IK  THE  ATTENDANCE  AT 
THE   WESLEYAN   ACADEMY. 


1866. 

'""PHIS  year  was  phenomenal  in  the  number  of  students 
1  in  attendance.  The  record  reached  1,045  by  ag- 
gregate of  terras,  or  679  different  students,  the  highest 
point  ever  touched  in  the  history  of  the  Academy. 
The  winter  term  numbered  346;  the  spring  term  330; 
the  fall  term  369,  making  the  above  total  of  1,045. 
This  great  increase  resulted  from  three  causes  operat- 
ing at  the  time.  The  new  administration,  which  had 
come  in  with  much  public  favor,  drew  attention  to  the 
school.  In  addition  to  the  novelty  was  the  activity  of 
the  new  principal,  who  set  all  the  machinery  in  motion. 
Moreover,  those  were  the  flush  days  after  the  war, 
when  money  was  easily  earned  and  as  easily  expended. 
Many  parents  had  the  means  to  educate  their  children, 
and  young  ladies  and  pretitlemen  were  able  easily  to 
earn  the  money  with  which  to  educate  themselves. 
But  there  was  a  wider  cause.  The  increase  in  num- 


£90 

bers  was  really  a  part  of  the  movement  which  began 
in  the  rebuilding  under  Dr.  Raymond.  The  interest 
had  been  gradually  rising  until  the  movement  culmi- 
nated, filling  the  institution  to  repletion. 

The  increase  in  the  property  of  the  Academy  ren- 
dered advisable  an  enlargement  of  the  charter  under 
which  the  corporation  held.  In  response  to  the  peti- 
tion of  the  trustees,  an  amendatory  act  was  approved 
by  the  governor,  March  26,  1866,  authorizing  them  "  to 
hold  for  the  purposes  set  forth  in  the  said  act  of  incor- 
poration, real  and  personal  estate  to  an  amount  not 
exceeding  three  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

The  Rev.  Fales  H.  Newhall,  D.D.,  and  Henry  J. 
Bush,  of  Westfield,  were  chosen  trustees.  Dr.  Newhall 
held  the  position  thirteen  years,  and  was  of  great 
service  to  the  institution,  not  only  by  his  wide  and 
practical  knowledge  of  educational  matters,  but  also 
by  his  knowledge  of  its  needs  and  the  best  methods  of 
meeting  them.  Henry  J.  Bush  was  a  prominent  and 
wealthy  layman,  who  served  the  seminary  until  1883 
by  his  counsels,  means  and  attention  to  the  details  of 
business.  The  preceptress  this  year  was  Miss  Mary 
True,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  K.  True,  a  young  lady 
of  fine  literary  and  social  accomplishments,  who  did 
much  faithful  and  valuable  work.  She  married  a  gen- 
tleman in  South  Carolina,  where  she  resides.  Warren 
L.  Hoagland,  who  took  the  department  of  mathe- 
matics, was  born  in  Townsbury,  N.J.,  May  11,  1844, 
and  graduated  from  the  Wesleyan  University  this  year. 
At  the  close  of  his  two  years  at  Wilbraham,  he  began 
the  study  of  the  law  in  Albany,  but  later  turned  to 
divinity  at  Drew.  Joining  the  Newark  Conference  in 


THE   WESLETAJf  ACADEMY.  391 

1870,  he  filled  an  important  charge,  and  two  years  later 
became  an  instructor  in  Drew  Theological  Seminary. 
As  assistants  in  English  and  French,  Cynthia  P.  Hazen 
and  Laura  E.  Prentice  served  for  a  single  year  with 
favor.  William  H.  Cook  assisted  in  the  classical  de- 
partment. As  steward,  we  now  find  the  genial  and 
excellent  Orrin  E.  Darling,  of  Chicopee,  and  his  esti- 
mable and  intelligent  wife,  who  devoted  three  years  of 
conscientious  and  faithful  service  to  the  institution. 
For  genuine  worth,  Christian  character  and  noble  pur- 
pose, as  well  as  for  good  works,  they  were  highly 
appreciated.  He  was  born  in  Rowe,  Mass.,  April  19, 
1820,  and  for  many  years  was  in  trade  in  Chicopee. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  have  long  been  worthy  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Under  Dr.  Cooke,  the  department  of  instruction  was 
more  fully  organized  than  ever  before.  Something  was 
done  in  this  direction  by  Dr.  Fisk.  Robert  Allyn 
organized  the  ladies'  graduating  course.  What  had 
been  well  begun  by  his  predecessors,  was  now  carried 
on  to  completion  by  Dr.  Cooke,  who  had  more  leisure 
than  his  predecessor  to  devote  to  the  internal  affairs  of 
the  school.  The  whole  school  was  arranged  in  three 
departments.  They  were,  (1.)  the  preparatory  course, 
extending  over  a  single  year,  and  designed  to  take  the 
student  on  to  the  next  grade  of  studies.  (2.)  The 
graduating  course,  covering  three  years,  and  comprising 
studies  adapted  to  fit  pupils  for  the  active  duties  of  life. 
(3.)  The  classical  course,  containing  much  the  same 
matter  as  the  old  course,  but  distributed  in  an  orderly 
manner  over  three  years,  and  designed  to  afford  an 
ample  preparation  for  college.  Three  years  were 


392  HISTORY  OF 

required  to  complete  the  second  and  the  third  courses, 
while  those  remaining  for  briefer  periods  could  select 
from  these  courses.  In  this  way,  the  wants  of  transient 
and  more  permanent  students  could  be  met.  The 
advantages  of  sj'stem  and  order  could  thus  be  secured 
to  those  choosing  a  full  course,  without  damage  to  those 
taking  a  partial  one.  The  new  plan*  has  proved  an 
advantage  to  the  pupils  and  the  institution.  More  have 
taken  a  full  course,  and  the  grade  of  scholarship  has 
been  advanced ;  especially  in  the  classical  department, 
which  has  done  some  very  thorough  and  satisfactory 
work.  Students  came  to  realize  the  advantage  of 
system  and  time  for  drill. 

As  a  result  of  the  steady  and  full  flow  of  patronage 
to  the  Academy,  the  income  of  the  corporation  became 
much  greater  than  ever  before.  In  the  brisk  times 
prices  advanced.  Board  ranged  at  three  dollars  per 
week,  besides  extras  for  heating  and  washing,  and  tui- 
tion for  English  branches  at  six  dollars,  with  corres- 
ponding advances  in  the  higher  branches. 

It  has  been  asked  why,  with  this  advance  in  prices, 
and  the  great  inflow  of  students  during  Dr.  Cooke's 
term,  there  was  no  reduction  of  the  debt.  The  author 
can  only  answer  in  part.  The  history  of  the  debt  would 
require  a  careful  scrutiny  of  the  books,  which  he  has 
not  been  able  to  make.  In  place  of  such  accurate 
knowledge,  some  general  considerations  only  can  be 
offered  which  may  tend  to  a  solution. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  that  there  was  a  great  advance 
in  current  expenditures  as  well  as  receipts.  If  they 
received  more  for  board  than  formerly,  the  cost  of 
supplies  had  increased  during  the  war  period,  and  at 


the  same  time  a  table  with  greater  variety  was  required 
to  meet  the  demands  of  better  conditioned  students. 
The  same  holds  in  considering  the  department  of 
instruction.  But,  to  go  a  step  further,  the  interest  on 
the  debt,  at  the  ruling  rates,  amounted  to  $1,500  a 
year.  And,  then,  the  increase  in  the  number  of  stu- 
dents rendered  additional  rooms  needful ;  and  to  meet 
this  demand,  $1,500  were  expended  on  Rich  Hall,  in 
finishing  the  attic  and  basement,  and  in  furnishing 
additional  modern  improvements.  The  old  house 
formerly  occupied  by  the  principal  was  refitted  and 
repaired.  To  afford  better  accommodations  for  the 
natural  science  department  and  the  library  $1,200  were 
expended  on  Binney  Hall  and  $3,000  for  chemical  and 
philosophical  apparatus.  To  retouch  and  garnish  the 
old  Academy  cost  a  thousand  dollars,  and  the  library, 
to  which  the  Conference  had  called  attention,  was 
replenished  at  an  expense  of  $1,500.  This  was  for  the 
purchase  of  Chester  Field's  collection, —  not  the  most 
suitable  for  an  Academy,  but  a  purchase  made  at  the 
suggestion  of  Isaac  Rich,  with  the  design,  possibly,  of 
aiding  a  worthy  and  impecunious  minister.  There  is 
one  other  item  of  expense  not  to  be  forgotten.  This  is 
the  advance  in  salaries.  Down  to  Dr.  Cooke's  time, 
the  salary  of  the  principal  had  remained  at  $1,000;  it 
was  then  raised  to  $1,800  ;  and  the  salaries  of  the 
heads  of  departments  rose  from  $800  to  $1,400;  that  of 
the  preceptress  went  up  from  $400  to  $700  ;  and  those 
in  subordinate  positions  rose  correspondingly.  The 
increase  of  students,  too,  demanded  additional  teachers. 
The  increase  in  salaries  in  these  ways  was  not  less  than 
$3,000  a  j-ear.  These  items  account  in  part,  at  least, 


394  HISTORY  Of 

for  the  large  expenditures  during  Dr.  Cooke's  admin- 
istration. 

The  attention  of  the  trustees  was  now  called  to  the 
question  of  better  church  accommodation.  They 
accept  the  proposal  of  the  village  society  to  allow 
students  alternate  slips,  in  the  church  to  be  built,  at  the 
rate  of  one  dollar  per  term  for  each  student,  and  auth- 
orize the  president  of  the  board  to  appeal  to  the  public 
for  aid  through  the  press,  and  constitute  the  president 
of  the  board,  the  principal  and  George  C.  Rand  a  com- 
mittee to  solicit  and  receive  subscriptions  for  that 
purpose. 

The  Conference  renews  its  expressions  of  satisfaction 
at  the  order  and  prosperity  of  the  school,  adapted,  as 
never  before,  to  impart,  as  never  before,  sound  literary 
and  religious  instruction.  In  the  continued  religious 
interest  among  the  students  it  finds  special  occasion  for 
gratitude.  Most  of  the  pupils  in  the  institution  at  the 
time  were  religious,  many  had  been  converted  at  the 
Academy. 

In  the  graduating  course,' nineteen  received  diplomas. 
They  were,  Ella  A.  Allen,  Louise  M.  Battershall,  Mary 
F.  Browning,  Mary  L.  Booth,  Ada  M.  Davis,  Fannie  E. 
Flagg,  Joseph  K.  Gill,  Georgie  A.  Goodnow,  Mary  E. 
Hall,  Rachel  Keyes,  Hattie  E.  Marcy,  Luman  F. 
Merritt,  Margaret  E.  Pickering,  Mary  Sawin,  George 
H.  Sherman,  Albert  H.  Sweetser,  Sarah  E.  Wakeman, 
Nellie  M.  Wakeman  and  Belle  R.  Wood.  Eighteen 
gentlemen  completed  the  classical  course.  They  were, 
E.  B.  Andrews,  Charles  F.  Allen,  Elisha  T.  Bartholo- 
mew, Samuel  F.  Cushman,  Nathan  S.  Dunklee,  William 
E.  D wight,  William  T.  Ellis,  Leon  C.  Field,  Benjamin 


Rev.   E.    B.   ANDREWS,    D.D.,    President  of  Brown   University. 


WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  395 

Gill,  Edwin  J.  Howe,  Barton  Lowe,  Edward  A.  Merrill, 
Walter  G.  Mitchell,  William  H.  Peters,  Fred.  Perkins, 
John  S.  and  Joseph  R.  Wood  and  Edward  S.  White. 
Of  these,  Dwight,  Gill,  Merrill,  Peters,  Field,  Howe 
and  John  S.  Wood  entered  the  Wesleyan  University. 

Elisha  Benjamin  Andrews,  the  valedictorian,  was 
born  in  Hinsdale,  N.H.,  January  10,  1844.  His  father 
and  grandfather  were  honored  Baptist  clergymen.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Federal  Army  in  1861,  and  after  serving 
three  years  and  seven  months  was  discharged  on 
account  of  wounds  received  in  the  service.  After 
preparing  for  college  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  he 
entered  Brown  University,  graduating  in  1870.  His 
theological  studies  were  completed  in  1874  at  Newton 
Theological  Seminary.  For  a  single  year  1874-1875, 
he  was  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Beverly. 
Elected,  1875,  president  of  Denison  University,  Gran- 
ville,  Ohio,  he  resigned  in  1879  to  accept  the  professor- 
ship of  Homiletics  in  Newton  Theological  Seminary. 
In  1882  and  1883  he  traveled  in  Europe.  In  1882  he 
was  elected  professor  of  History  in  Brown  University, 
and  in  1889  he  became  president  of  the  same.  In  1887 
he  published  Institutes  of  General  History,  a  very  able 
work,  and  in  1889  the  Institutes  of  Economics.  In 
preparation  and  in  college  he  was  proficient  in  all  his 
studies,  especially  in  mathematics  and  metaphysics. 
Dr.  Andrews  is  one  of  the  remarkable  men  of  the  age. 
An  independent  and  strong  thinker,  he  is  controlled  by 
a  sound  judgment  and  high  moral  purpose.  He  has 
been  honored  with  the  titles  of  D.D.  and  LL.D.  and 
ranks  high  among  the  educators  of  the  time.  He  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Rev.  Ralph  W.  Allen,  D.D.,  late  a 


396  HISTORY  OF 

member  of  the  New  England  Conference.  In  having 
the  opportunity  to  aid  in  quickening  and  moulding  the 
spiritual  and  intellectual  life  of  so  distinguished  and 
influential  a  man  as  President  Andrews,  the  Wesleyan 
Academy  is  highly  honored.  It  is  gratifying  to  know 
that  he  reciprocates  the  feeling  of  attachment  the 
Academy  cherishes  toward  him,  and  his  visits  to  the 
place  have  always  been  welcome. 

1867. 

The  decline  in  numbers,  slow  at  first,  but  to  be  long 
continued  and  extreme,  began  this  year.  As  against  the 
six  hundred  and  seventy-nine  different  students  of  the 
former  year,  they  now  had  six  hundred  and  seventeen. 
The  decrease  was  slight,  but  was  enough  to  mark  the 
turn  in  the  tide. 

The  Conference  makes  handsome  reference  to  the 
late  improvements  in  the  facilities  for  education  at  the 
Academy.  "The  debt  has  been  somewhat  reduced; 
though,  in  consequence  of  the  multiplicity  and  impor- 
tance of  the  objects  placed  before  the  people  for  centen- 
ary contributions,  less  has  been  realized  from  these 
collections  than  was  anticipated.  Surveying  these 
facts,  your  committee  can  but  regard  the  financial  and 
general  management  of  the  school  as  exceedingly 
satisfactory." 

There  came  into  the  board  of  instruction,  Herbert 
F.  Fisk,  Asa  Boothby  and  David  B.  Furber.  Mrs.  A. 
C.  Knight  instructed  in  French  and  Belle  R.  Wood  in 
English. 

Herbert  F.  Fisk,  a  thorough  scholar  and  successful 
teacher,  was  born  in  Stoughton,  September  25,  1840. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 

Graduating  at  the  Wesleyan  in  1860  he  taught  a  year 
in  Franklin,  N.Y.,  and  then  became  principal  at  Shel- 
burne  Academy,  Vt.  In  1863  he  accepted  the  chair 
of  Ancient  Languages  in  Cazenovia,  which  was 
exchanged  for  that  at  Wilbraham  in  1867.  In  1868  he 
went  to  Lima,  N.Y.,  and  in  1881  to  the  Northwestern  at 
Evanston,  where  he  has  gained  a  high  reputation  as  a 
scholar  and  teacher. 

Asa  Boothby,  an  enthusiast  in  natural  science,  was 
born  September  23,  1834,  and  graduated  from  Middle- 
town  in  1859.  He  taught  in  Falley  Seminary  until 
1865,  when  he  became  a  druggist.  He  served  with 
great  popularity  at  Wilbraham  from  1867  to  1874.  He 
was  a  born  and  trained  teacher.  Zeal  for  science  con- 
sumed him.  From,  his  lips,  scientific  truth  never  fell 
cold  and  colorless ;  it  was  touched  with  the  hues  of  his 
own  imagination.  In  1879  he  returned  to  his  beloved 
work  in  Falley. 

David  B.  Furber,  who  taught  for  a  single  year  at 
Wilbraham  was  born  in  Marlowe,  N.H.,  October  31, 
1846,  and  graduated  in  1867.  After  a  year  at  Wilbra- 
ham, he  became  an  instructor  in  the  Westfield  High 
School  and  in  1879  was  engaged  as  the  bookkeeper  of 
Crane  Brothers,  in  the  same  place. 

The  music  department  was  reorganized  under  Dr. 
Eben  Tourje",  assisted  by  Miss  Emily  F.  True.  The 
music  rooms  were  in  the  parlor  of  the  boarding  house 
and  in  Fisk  Hall.  The  best  methods  of  instruction  were 
adopted,  better  instruments  purchased,  and  the  depart- 
ment placed  on  a  thorough  basis.  As  a  result  the 
number  of  pupils  in  music  was  greatly  increased. 

The  Commencement  week  was  an  occasion  of  much 


398  HISTORY    OF 

interest.  There  were  ten  graduates  from  the  classical 
department;  viz.,  Daniel  S.  Alford,  W.  H.  Cook,  Samuel 
G.  Gushing,  William  A.  Fuller,  John  Gray,  Almon  E. 
Hall,  T.  Randolph  Mercein,  Wilbur  F.  Potter,  Harvey 
N.  Shepard,  and  George  B.  Simpson.  Of  these,  Alford, 
Gushing,  Cook,  Marcein  and  Potter  entered  the  Wes- 
leyan  University.  Nine  completed  their  studies  in  the 
graduating  course;  viz.,  Jennie  E.  Bigelow,  Marcia  L. 
Burleigh,  Laura  M.  Bryant,  Eugenia  L.  Bushnell,  Mary 
A.  Foster,  Emily  F.  Houghton,  Marion  E.  Lewis,  Fan- 
nie A.  Morse  and  Annie  H.  Noble.  Miss  Foster,  later 
Mrs.  Gregory,  a  fine  scholar  and  speaker,  was  vale- 
dictorian. 

The  occasion  was  rounded  out  by  an  enthusiastic 
alumni  gathering.  The  meeting,  held  in  Fisk  Hall, 
was  called  to  order  by  Hon.  Amos  B.  Merrill  and 
prayer  was  offered  by  Gilbert  Haven.  Dr.  N.  J. 
Burton,  a  former  student  in  the  Academy,  a  brilliant 
preacher  and  the  successor  of  Horace  Bushnell,  was  the 
orator  of  the  day.  The  practical  as  against  the  ideal 
side  of  life  was  the  theme  he  handled  with  rare  ability. 
It  was  not  good  to  be  alone  ;  to  withdraw  oneself  from 
the  actual,  rough,  dirty  world.  The  world  needs  us,  we 
need  the  plain  work-day  world.  A  cloistered,  solitary 
life  is  destructive  to  health,  vigor,  manliness;  to  the 
amenities  of  life  as  exhibited  in  good  manners ;  to  the 
power  and  activity  of  the  mental  processes ;  to  the  more 
generous  impulses  of  the  heart ;  and  to  sanity  of  mental 
and  moral  nature.  In  style,  matter  and  manner,  the 
oration  was  very  felicitous,  abounding  as  it  did  in  argu- 
ment, incident,  anecdote  and  sharp  turns  of  wit,  and 
holding  the  audience  spell-bound  for  more  than  an  hour. 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  399 

At  the  close  of  the  oration,  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Studley, 
D.D.,  an  alumnus,  gave  a  pyrotechnic  display  in  the 
shape  of  a  biographic  and  humorous  poem,  on  the 
early  days  of  the  institution.  The  spondees  and 
dactyles  blazed  and  darted  and  spluttered  and  exploded 
over  the  audience  amid  roars  of  laughter  at  the  "  ding- 
bats," the  "Porkham  Cord  wood,"  and  the  "Satinet"  of 
those  ante-diluvian  times.  At  the  close  of  the  poem, 
the  audience  repaired  to  the  dining  hall,  elegantly 
festooned  and  furnished  with  an  ample  and  excellent 
repast.  Some  had  dined  here  before ;  but  to  most  the 
place  was  new.  "The  feast  of  reason  and  flow  of 
soul  "  succeeded  the  repast.  The  older  alumni  relived 
the  past  and  admired  the  greater  present.  The  mem- 
ory of  the  chairman  went  back  to  the  struggles  and 
triumphs  of  the  founders.  Governor  Claflin  expressed 
his  great  satisfaction  at  being  present  to  witness  the 
prosperity  of  the  institution  and  to  express  his  entire 
satisfaction  as  to  the  use  made  of  the  liberal  grants 
from  the  Commonwealth.  The  State  had  always  taken 
a  lively  interest  in  the  cause  of  education;  and  no 
money  was  better  expended  than  that  used  to  foster 
education.  No  institution,  to  whose  founding  and  up- 
building the  State  had  contributed,  had  used  its  funds 
more  wisely  than  the  Wesley  an  Academy.  Out  of  the 
little  possessed  at  first,  the  founders  contrived  to  make 
much  and  do  a  great  educational  work;  and  now  that 
our  people  are  more  numerous  and  means  are  more 
abundant,  it  seems  desirable  to  secure  these  larger 
accommodations  and  better  furnishings. 

The  governor  was  followed  by  Rev.  Sidney  Dean,  of 
Providence,  an  alumnus  of  '32,  later  a  preacher,  mem- 


400  HISTORY  OF 

ber  of  Congress  and  editor  of  the  Providence  Journal; 
Mrs.  Thomas,  a  former  student  and  preceptress;  Velorus 
Taft,  an  admirer  of  the  Academy ;  Rev.  Pliny  Wood ; 
Gilbert  Haven;  and  Willard  F.  Mallalieu,  who  was 
more  of  a  prophet  than  an  antiquary.  So  closed  one 
of  the  most  delightful  gatherings  in  the  history  of  the 
institution. 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  401 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


THE     SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF     THE    FOUNDING     OF    THE 
WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 


1868. 

LIKE  those  immediately  preceding,  the  present  was 
a  prosperous  year  in  the  school.  At  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  board,  L.  W.  Pond  was  chosen  a  trustee. 
Though  afterwards  implicated  in  business  irregularities, 
he  did  good  service  in  the  board,  of  which  he  remained 
a  member  until  1877,  and  was  a  man  of  many  noble 
traits  of  character. 

The  board  of  instruction  was  reenforced  by  the  elec- 
tion of  D.  M.  Brummagim,  A.  S.  Howe  and  Joseph  G. 
Robbins.  Professor  Brummagim,  an  excellent  man 
and  teacher,  held  the  chair  of  Ancient  Languages  for 
three  years;  Mr.  Howe  that  of  Mathematics,  and  Mr. 
Robbins  that  of  English  for  two  years.  J.  W.  Hastings, 
an  excellent  instructor,  took  charge  of  the  music  depart- 
ment, assisted  by  Mary  E.  Lucas  and  Lucie  A.  Marcy. 
Mrs.  A.  C.  Knight,  a  sister  of  Dr.  W.  F.  Warren,  and 
a  competent  scholar  and  instructor,  was  chosen  precept- 


402  HISTORY  OF 

ress,  serving  acceptably  until  1879.  Mrs.  Knight  felt  a 
deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  both  school  and  pupils, 
especially  the  younger  girls,  who  found  in  her  a  coun- 
selor and  guide,  a  care-taker  and  friend.  After  leaving 
Wilbraham  she  became  preceptress  in  the  preparatory 
school  at  Athens,  Tenn.,  where  she  has  done  extensive 
and  valuable  work  in  that  opening  field. 

The  numbers  this  year  reached  six  hundred  and 
fifteen.  Twenty  graduated  from  the  classical  course. 
They  were,  Howard  E.  Alcott,  John  S.  Bagg,  S.  M. 
Beale,  John  M.  Brooks,  Alpheus  H.  Bryan,  Sexton  P. 
Coomes,  Geo.  F.  Degen,  David  S.  Holbrook,  L.  M. 
Hubbard,  Charles  H.  Knight,  Isaac  J.  Lansing,  Ambrose 
E.  Palmer,  Damon  C.  Porter,  Stephen  O.  Sherman, 
Charles  W.  Smiley,  George  H.  Smith,  Samuel  F.  Smith, 
John  W.  Wescott,  William  B.  Wheeler  and  George  W. 
Wright.  Of  these,  Lansing,  Porter,  Sherman  and 
Wright  entered  Middletown.  Nine  completed  their 
studies  in  the  graduating  course.  They  were,  Genie  H. 
Bell,  Annette  Davis,  Addie  A.  Foster,  E.  Ella  Hayden, 
Helen  M.  Newhall,  Mary  Pelton,  Mary  E.  Phelps, 
Narcissa  A.  White  and  Hannah  Whiton.  The  vale- 
dictory went  to  David  S.  Holbrook  of  Chester,  Mass. 

This  year,  the  Alumni  Association  celebrated  the 
semi-centennial  of  the  founding  of  the  Academy  at 
Newmarket.  The  occasion  proved  to  be  one  of  rare 
interest.  Dr.  Cooke  made  an  extended  historical 
address,  recounting  the  incidents  and  facts  in  connec- 
tion with  the  founding  and  growth  of  the  Academy. 
He  dwelt  with  evident  interest  on  the  rebuilding,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  new  creation  which  had  arisen  as  by 
magic  around  them.  "The  Wesleyan  Academy,"  he 


Rev.   I.  J.    LANSING, 
Student. 


Rev.  JOSEPH    PULLMAN,   D.D. 
Student. 


STEPHEN    OLIN    SHERMAN, 
Student.     (Journalist.) 


FRANK    M.    CRANE, 
Student. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  403 

said  in  conclusion,  "bears  the  proud  distinction  of 
being  the  first  of  a  class  of  institutions,  now  so  numer- 
ous, that  may  be  called  the  people's  colleges;  for  they 
have  opened  their  doors  to  both  sexes,,  and,  in  the  spirit 
of  Methodism,  have  sought  to  benefit,  not  the  privi- 
leged few,  but  to  unlock  to  the  many,  alike  rich  and 
poor,  the  treasures  of  knowledge.  Where  others  have 
not  sought,  there  she  has  found  her  brightest  jewels. 
Fifteen  thousand  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the 
people  have  received  instruction  in  these  halls.  These 
efforts  to  secure  the  education  of  the  people  have  been 
her  praise  and  may  it  continue  to  be  her  crown  of 
glory."  The  address  was  published  entire  in  Ziorfs 
Herald  of  the  period. 

For  many  years,  the  town  of  Wilbraham  had  taxed 
the  personal  property  of  the  Academy,  under  the  plea 
that  this  kind  of  property  was  not  exempted  by  the 
charter.  The  board  had  ordered  the  treasurer  to  pay 
the  tax  under  protest.  In  order  to  insure  a  full  and 
final  settlement  of  the  question,  the  trustees  brought 
suit  against  the  town.  During  this  year,  the  case 
came  before  Judge  Chapman,  who  decided  in  favor  of 
the  Academy  and  ordered  the  town  to  refund  the 
amount  paid  as  taxes  with  interest. 

1869. 

Matters  at  the  Acadeni}^  in  1869  call  for  only  brief 
notice.  A.  F.  Chase  instructed  in  mathematics  and 
Rachel  Keyes  in  English.  Rosa  P.  Merrill  aided  in 
the  art  department,  and  Mrs.  C.  H.  M.  Newell  in  wax- 
work. Mr.  Chase,  a  fine  scholar  and  popular  instruc- 
tor, was  born  in  Woodstock,  Me.,  October  26,  1842. 


404  HISTORY  OF 

After  two  years  at  Wilbraham  he  went  to  Kent's  Hill  to 
teach.  Henry  E.  Crocker,  also,  taught  here  two  years, 
with  good  success. 

1870. 

Charles  M.  Parker,  an  accurate  scholar  and  a  model 
teacher,  who  began  a  most  successful  career  this  year 
at  Wilbraham,  was  born  in  Jay,  Me.,  November  17, 
1843,  and  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in 
1868.  Before  going  to  Wilbraham,  he  taught  a  year  at 
Kent's  Hill  and  another  at  the  Wesleyan  Female  Col- 
lege in  Cincinnati.  Professor  Parker  was  a  rare 
teacher,  of  whom  any  institution  might  well  be  proud. 
With  a  clear  and  disciplined  mind,  a  thorough  mastery 
of  his  subject,  devotion  to  his  work,  facility  in  teaching, 
and  the  patience  which  insured  thorough  drill  and  com- 
plete mastery  of  the  subject  in  hand,  he  was  at  the  same 
time  a  genial  and  attractive  man  in  his  intercourse 
with  students  and  citizens.  Though  a  master,  he  was 
simple  in  tastes  and  habits  and  unpretentious.  The 
classes  which  passed  under  his  hand,  were  fitted  to 
enter  any  college,  and  usually  at  the  head  of  the  col- 
umn. His  departure  was  sincerely  regretted.  Impaired 
health  led  him  to  Pasadena,  as  a  sort  of  sanitarium, 
where  he  has  been  able  to  resume  his  old  occupation. 

The  attendance  now  fell  to  five  hundred  and  ninety- 
three.  Albert  L.  Bacheller,  Edgar  H.  S.  Bailey,  A.  O. 
Brooks,  George  B.  Dorsett,  Theodore  A.  Duncan,  John  S. 
Flagg,  William  A.  Gregory,  Charles  F.  Merrill,  F.  W. 
Patten  and  Carstein  Wendt  completed  their  studies  in 
the  classical  course.  Wendt  received  the  valedictory 
honor.  Bacheller,  Dorsett,  Merrill  and  Patten  went  to 


Prof.   C.   M.   PARKER. 


Prof.   CHAS.    H.    RAYMOND. 


Prof.    BENJAMIN    GILL. 


Professor   H.    F.    FISK. 


tHE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  405 

Middletown.  In  the  graduating  course,  Eugene 
Atchison,  Lizzie  E.  Bacon,  Helen  C.  Coomes,  Dora  E. 
Cross,  Louise  M.  Hodgkins,  Lizzie  J.  Lathrop,  Clara 
Markham,  Mary  E.  Pepper,  Anna  C.  Taft  and  Lester 
F.  Hill  received  diplomas.  Miss  Hodgkins  has  been, 
for  many  years,  an  honored  professor  in  Wellesley 
College. 

The  Memorial  Church,  the  chapel  of  which  was 
opened  for  public  services  January  9th  by  a  sermon 
from  Dr.  W.  F.  Warren  on  John  12:23,  treating  on  the 
duty,  object  and  manner  of  worship,  was  the  conjoint 
work  of  the  Academy  and  the  local  society.  The  plan, 
contemplating  a  building  eighty  by  fifty-six  feet  with  a 
chapel  sixty  by  thirty-two  feet,  was  drawn  as  early  as 
1856,  at  an  expense  of  not  more  than  $25,000  of  which 
$11,000  only  were  in  hand  at.  the  beginning.  The 
latter  sum  proved  to  be  sufficient  only  to  make  a  begin- 
ning ;  for  the  full  cost  was  a  little  less  than  $45,000. 

The  Conference  of  1867  approved  "  the  style  and 
dimensions  of  the  church,  as  demanded  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  joint  congregation  of  students  and  cit- 
izens." The  churches  were  asked  to  contribute  to  this 
cause,  in  response  to  a  call  to  be  sent  out  by  the  trustees 
and  the  local  church,  and  the  contributions  were  very 
liberal.  At  the  end  of  the  year  $15,000  had  been 
expended  in  rearing  the  walls,  $15,000  more  would  be 
required  to  complete  it.  Of  the  sum  needed,  the 
pastor,  Rev.  F.  Furber,  raised  by  an  additional  appeal 
to  the  churches  $7,117  during  the  year;  but  this  sum, 
like  those  before,  quickly  sank  out  of  sight.  The 
builder,  Porter  Cross,  then  found  another  round  $10,000 
would  be  required  to  finish  the  roof  and  the  inside.  To 


406  HISTORY  OF 

meet  this,  Lee  Claflin  agreed  to  pay  the  last  $2,500,  oil 
condition  the  whole  should  be  subscribed  before 
October  1,  1869.  On  the  twenty-ninth  of  September 
it  was  announced  that  the  whole  amount  had  been 
secured.  Even  with  this  -$10,000  the  society  was  left 
with  a  debt  and  without  a  spire. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  February,  a  series  of  services 
was  opened  by  Mrs.  Van  Cott.  As  a  result  the  pastor 
received  ninety-three  on  probation  and  baptized  forty. 
Many  students  repaired  to  their  homes  to  repeat  the 
story  of  their  new  found  treasure.  As  the  members  of 
the  local  church  entered  so  fully  into  the  work,  the 
revival  spirit  continued  after  the  special  services 
closed. 

In  midsummer,  the  church  was  formally  opened  by 
a  sermon  from  Dr.  Raymond.  It  was  one  of  his  able 
discourses,  built  on  the  fundamental  truth  of  redemp- 
tion. In  spite  of  the  sweltering  heat,  which  gave  the 
audience  immense  discomfort,  they  hung  on  his  words 
with  the  interest  of  other  days. 

In  bringing  this  noble  work  to  completion  many 
deserve  praise.  The  trustees  aided ;  the  men  did  a 
noble  work ;  the  women  were  diligent  and  helpful, 
especially  in  the  furnishing.  In  the  building  of  the 
church,  Dr.  Cooke  was  active  ;  and  he  claimed  that 
Franklin  Furber,  George  C.  Rand,  Mrs.  Wesley  Bliss 
and  Miss  Lucinda  D.  Moody  were  worthy  of  honorable 
mention.  Though  the  cost  of  the  church  largely 
exceeded  the  original  estimate,  it  has  proved  to  be  of 
great  value  to  the  Academy,  in  affording  attractive 
accommodations  to  the  students,  and  an  ample  assembly 
room  for  commencement  and  other  occasions.  It  is  in 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  407 

keeping  with  the  buildings  around  it.  The  Gothic 
architecture  is  the  permanent  fashion,  making  the  struc- 
ture a  valuable  object  lesson,  whose  ivy-clad  walls  will 
become  more  attractive  with  the  lapse  of  years.  The 
carrying  up  of  the  spire  will  complete  and  beautify  the 
work. 

1871. 

Herbert  H.  Burbank  and  Wilbur  F.  Claflin  were 
elected  trustees.  The  former,  a  worthy  citizen  of  the 
town^  remained  in  the  board  but  a  single  year.  Wilbur 
F.  Claflin,  who  took  the  place  of  his  father  and  served 
until  1880,  was  born  in  Milford,  March  6, 1831,  and  died 
in  Hopkinton  in  1885.  He  was  a  student  at  Wilbra- 
ham,  where  he  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  young 
lady  who  became  his  wife  and  who  survives  him.  For 
many  years,  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  William, 
Claflin  &  Co.,  and  was  also  in  partnership  with  A. 
Coburn  of  Hopkinton.  To  the  institution,  he  was 
serviceable  both  by  counsel  and  pecuniary  contribu- 
tions, the  amount  of  which  cannot  be  here  stated.  Mr. 
Claflin  was  a  quiet,  unobtrusive  man,  with  a  gift  for 
business  and  was  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  funds  of 
the  local  church  of  which  he  was  a  member. 

The  teaching  corps  was  reenforced  by  the  election  of 
W.  H.  H.  Phillips,  Donnell  G.  Brooks  and  James  Mid- 
dleton.  The  two  latter  occupied  subordinate  positions, 
doing  good  service  for  a  single  year.  W.  H.  H.  Phil- 
lips, who  remained  in  faithful  and  efficient  service 
until  1883,  was  born  in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  July 
25,  1841,  and  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in 
1865.  After  spending  three  years  in  Europe,  he  taught 


408  HISTORY  oP 

at  Lima,  N.Y.,  and  at  East  Greenwich.  He  taught 
mathematics,  a  department  in  which  he  was  thoroughly 
accomplished  and  in  which  he  is  not  unknown  as  an 
author  of  elementary  books.  As  a  teacher,  he  was 
clear,  incisive  and  strong ;  knowing  the  matter  himself, 
he  was  able  to  aid  pupils  in  a  wise  way.  Besides  the 
attention  to  the  duties  of  the  class  room,  he  felt  an 
interest  in  everything  connected  with  the  school.  He 
identified  himself  with  the  local  church  and  for  a  season 
served  as  treasurer  to  the  board  of  stewards.  To  the 
classes  which  passed  under  his  careful  instruction  and 
drill  his  services  were  invaluable. 

Orrin  Daggett,  who  was  chosen  steward  this  year, 
was  born  in  New  Vineyard,  Me.,  January  7,  1816.  He 
married  February  21,  1839,  Mary  Perkins,  of  the  same 
place,  who  proved  a  help-mate  indeed.  He  was  one  of 
Maine's  honored  farmers — care,  diligence  and  calcula- 
tion were  marked  features  in  his  character  as  an  agri- 
culturalist. He  was  at  it  early  and  late.  Nothing  ran 
to  waste.  Everything  was  utilized  to  the  utmost 
advantage,  as  he  was  guided  by  a  practical  judgment 
almost  infallible.  For  several  years,  he  was  steward  at 
Kent's  Hill  and  brought  his  ripened  wisdom  to  Wilbra- 
ham  where  his  services  were  invaluable.  The  lands 
were  put  in  the  best  order  and  rendered  extremely  pro- 
ductive. The  bushes  were  grubbed  and  the  waste  land, 
of  which  there  was  considerable,  was  reclaimed. 

In  the  care  of  matters  about  the  boarding  house,  he 
was  equally  successful.  Economy,  care  and  skill  in 
furnishing  at  the  least  cost  and  so  as  to  secure  the  best 
table,  made  him  the  model  steward.  Without  dispar- 
agement to  any  of  his  predecessors,  he  easily  holds,  for 


TBE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  409 

i 

length  of  service,  knowledge  of  the  situation,  facility  in 
handling  his  resources  and  faithfulness  in  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  his  position,  a  foremost  place  among  the 
honored  stewards  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy.  Con- 
sulted and  trusted  by  the  board,  he  was  loved  by  the 
students.  In  his  wife,  he  had  an  admirable  house 
manager,  whose  gentleness  and  prudence  admirably 
supplemented  his  own  rugged  strength  of  character ; 
and  enabled  her  to  care  tenderly  for  the  convenience 
and  health  of  the  students. 

The  attendance  went  down  again,  this  year,  to  five 
hundred  and  thirty-four.  Twenty-three  completed  a 
three  years'  course  of  study.  Those  in  the  classical 
course  were,  Oliver  A.  Coleman,  Warren  A.  Luce, 
Crandall  J.  North,  David  J.  Richards,  George  E.  Sand- 
erson, James  M.  Smith,  Edward  O.  Thayer,  Henry  M. 
Waldrof,  Melvin  C.  Wood  and  Joseph  Zweifil.  David 
J.  Richards  was  valedictorian.  The  graduates  in  the 
English  course  were,  Sarah  W.  Clapp,  Mattie  E.  Gould, 
Mollie  A.  Harrison,  Emma  C.  King  and  Nellie  A. 
Wood.  North,  Sanderson  and  Thayer  graduated  at  the 
Wesleyan  University,  and  David  J.  Richards  at 
Harvard. 


410  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

THE    FINAL     SERVICES     OF     EDWARD     COOKE    AT    THE 
WESLEYAN   ACADEMY. 


1872. 

AT  their  annual  meeting,  the  trustees  elected  three 
new  members  of  the  board,  viz.,  George  M.  But- 
trick,  John  W.  Beach  and  J.  W.  Phelps,  the  last  of 
whom  served  until  1877,  and  the  two  former  until  1878. 
Beyond  attendance  at  the  meetings,  we  are  not  aware 
that  they  performed  any  notable  services  for  the  board. 
John  W.  Beach,  D.D.,  who  was  reflected  in  1882,  was 
born  in  Trumbull,  Ct.,  December  26,  1825.  He  pre- 
pared for  college  at  Wilbraham  and  graduated  at  the 
Wesleyan  University  in  1845.  He  taught  in  Philadel- 
phia and  at  Amenia,  where  in  1851  he  became  principal. 
In  1854  he  joined  the  New  York  Conference,  where  he 
held  leading  positions,  and  in  1870  was  transferred  to 
the  New  York  East.  On  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Foss,  in 
1880,  he  was  elected  President  of  Wesleyan  University, 
a  position  he  retained  until  1887. 

To  the  corps  of  teachers  were  added  Benjamin  Gill, 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 

Crandall  J.  North  and  Martha  M.  Wiswell.  The  last 
two  remained  but  one  year.  Mr.  North  was  born  in 
Elbridge,  N.Y.,  March  2,  1847,  graduated  at  the  Wes- 
leyan  in  1887.  He  was  in  the  army  during  the  Civil 
War  and  joined  the  New  York  East  Conference  in  1877. 
Benjamin  Gill,  an  admirable  teacher  and  citizen,  was 
born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  July  11,  1843,  came  early 
to  America,  studied  in  Wilbraham  and  graduated  at 
Middletown,  1870.  He  began  by  teaching  classes  in 
English,  and  in  1874  became  instructor  in  Greek,  a 
position  he  held  with  growing  popularity  until  1892. 
With  a  mind  clear,  full  and  active,  he  communicated  his 
own  enthusiasm  to  his  classes,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
held  them  in  steady  drill. 

To  an  unusual  extent  he  maintained  pleasant  and 
even  intimate  relations  with  the  citizens,  by  whom  he  was 
highly  appreciated  for  his  genial  temper,  gentlemanly 
bearing  and  kind  offices.  In  the  church,  where  he 
ever  strove  to  be  useful,  his  services  were  greatly 
prized,  and,  for  many  years,  he  not  only  taught  in  the 
Sunday  school,  but  also  performed  the  duties  of  class 
leader  to  the  edification  and  comfort  of  all  who 
attended.  Useful  as  he  was  in  the  classical  drill,  he 
was  still  more  serviceable  in  attempts  to  form  and 
beautify  the  characters  of  those  who  passed  under  his 
hand. 

This  year  the  elocution  and  commercial  departments 
were  organized ;  the  former  under  Joseph  Carhart,  who 
performed  admirable  work,  and  the  latter  under  Watson 
F.  Lamb,  who  was  patient  and  persistent  in  developing 
his  department.  Previous  to  this,  the  declamations  had 
been  delivered  only  by  the  gentlemen,  the  ladies  appear- 


ing  only  in  the  graduating  exercises,  when  they  read 
brief  essays,  or  in  the  exercises  of  "open  society." 
Those  only  appeared  who  could  best  perform  their 
parts.  Volunteer  declamations  were  called  for  from 
the  ladies,  and  the  plan  was  so  well  approved  that  the 
next  year  it  was  required,  and  thenceforth  the  public 
speaking  of  both  sexes  was  the  same.  This  change  has 
met  a  felt  want,  and  the  good  fruits  have  fully  jus- 
tified the  innovation. 

The  fires  in  Boston  and  Chicago  ruined  many  of  the 
insurance  companies  and  raised  the  rates  of  insurance. 
On  the  one  hundred  and  seven  thousand  dollars'  worth 
of  property  at  the  Academy,  the  trustees  had  to  pay 
three  hundred  and  forty-eight  dollars  for  insurance  for 
one  year,  a  very  high  rate. 

The  numbers  in  attendance  dropped  this  year  to  five 
hundred  and  three.  The  annual  examination  showed 
good  proficiency  in  the  studies  of  the  term,  and  the 
exhibition  was  an  occasion  of  much  interest  and  spirit. 
The  names  of  the  twenty -five  graduates  were  as  follows: 
Eugene  V.  Baker,  Burton  J.  Beach,  Alma  S.  Brigham, 
Donnell  G.  Brooks,  Daniel  J.  Clark,  George  S.  Coleman, 
L.  Belle  Dewey,  Robert  Ely,  Ella  M.  Fermin,  Austin 
B.  Fletcher,  Amana  Green,  Arthur  M.  Kilgore,  James 
E.  Knapp,  Lillie  C.  Lane,  Jennie  Larned,  Webster  Mer- 
rifield,  Clara  A.  Merrill,  Frank  W.  Pierce,  Julia  E. 
Redford,  Henry  D.  Simonds,  Phebe  A.  Stone,  William 
W.  Ward,  Angle  V.  Warren,  Herbert  C.  Wilmarth  and 
Emma  Wooster. 

1873. 
Outside  of  the  routine,  we  find  little  worthy  of  note 


THE   WES  LEY  AN  ACADEMY.  413 

in  this  year.  In  numbers  there  was  an  uplift  to  five 
hundred  and  ninety-seven.  Alexander  J.  Duncan, 
Mary  Hall  and  Emily  Upton  became  teachers.  Miss 
Hall  remained  two  years,  the  others  but  one.  Twenty- 
five  completed  courses  of  study.  In  the  classical  depart- 
ment, the  following  graduated;  viz.,  C.  F.  Chapin, 
George  H.  Clark,  William  E.  Duncan,  Lucy  A.  Fisk, 
S.  E.  Greenwood,  William  I.  Haven,  Jenny  M.  Lord, 
Thomas  C.  Martin,  Laodicu  D.  Merrick,  M.  Josie  Miles, 
Theodore  Peck,  Thomas  R.  Pentecost,  Lucy  Sawin, 
Alton  H.  Sherman,  Arthur  J.  Silliman,  Edward  J. 
Smith,  William  C.  Strong,  George  E.  Taylor,  Ella  F. 
Walsh,  William  S.  Winans,  Jr.,  Lucy  F.  Winchester 
and  John  W.  Wright.  William  C.  Strong  was  valedic- 
torian. 

David  K.  Merrill,  who  was  chosen  a  trustee  in  place 
of  Miner  Raymond,  resigned,  was  born  in  Lyman,  N.H., 
January  19,  1820.  He  studied  at  Wilbraham  and 
joined  the  New  England  Conference  in  1842  and  con- 
tinued to  1880,  when  he  returned  to  business.  As  a 
trustee,  he  was  useful  by  active  and  faithful  participa- 
tion in  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the  position. 

1874. 

Although  the  country  was  beginning  to  feel  the  strin- 
gency in  business,  the  Academy  was  in  good  condition. 
The  attendance  dropped  to  five  hundred  and  thirty-eight. 
Less  than  the  preceding  year,  it  was  larger  than  in  1871 
and  1872.  There  were  thirty-nine  who  completed  the 
course,  whose  names  are  given  here.  They  were,  Ella 
L.  Bacon,  A  very  E.  Brewer,  Mary  E.  Brewer,  Charles 
M.  Comstock,  Charles  F.  Daggett,  Emma  A.  Daggett, 


414  HISTORY  OF 

Carrie  F.  Davis,  Hattie  A.  Davis,  Charles  E.  Finkle, 
Josie  O.  Firmin,  Sarali  A.  Fisk.  Ella  C.  Goodrich, 
Charles  M.  Hall,  Edgar  M.  Hermance,  Marian  T.  Her- 
rick,  Edward  Hevvitson,  Wilbur  F.  Holmes,  Charles  H. 
Houghton,  Abby  F.  Hull,  Lottie  A.  Lane,  Charles  F. 
Loomis,  Alice  R.  Lockwood,  J.  F.  McGregory,  Charles 
S.  Merrick,  Florence  Morgan,  Clifton  Pease,  George  H. 
Perkins,  Frank  T.  Pomeroy,  Mary  E.  Pomfret,  Fred. 
A.  Smith,  W.  B.  Smith,  Abbie  S.  Snow,  Frank  E. 
Stebbins,  Charles  W.  Thatcher,  Rebecca  M.  True, 
Anna  Van  Vleck,  William  E.  Walkley  and  Lemuel 
Young. 

The  year  was  marked  by  some  adverse,  as  well  as 
prosperous  events.  The  barns,  which  had  been  con- 
structed at  an  expense  of  some  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  were  destroyed  by  the  torch  of  the  incen- 
diary. Much  hay  and  grain  with  a  pair  of  oxen,  three 
valuable  horses  and  fourteen  cows,  were  burned.  The 
new  barns  erected  cost  three  thousand  eight  hundred 
dollars,  which  was  paid  under  the  next  administration. 

But  the  event  of  the  year  was  the  change  in  the  head- 
ship of  the  institution.  After  a  term  of  ten  years,  Dr. 
Cooke  handed  in  his  resignation.  In  his  administration 
there  were  some  noteworthy  features. 

Dr.  Cooke  was  a  man  of  detail.  He  delighted  to  have 
many  irons  in  the  fire.  Small  as  well  as  great  things 
were  kept  well  in  hand.  The  buildings  and  grounds 
were  kept  constantly  in  order ;  nothing  was  allowed  to 
get  out  of  place;  no  board  or  blind  was  left  loose;  no 
waste  material  was  allowed  to  accumulate  on  the  prem- 
ises. On  all  sides  were  evidences  of  minute  care  and 
good  taste. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  415 

In  the  management  of  the  business  of  the  institution, 
he  was  extremely  ready  and  active.  The  push  natural 
to  him  was  exhibited  in  the  management  of  the  school ; 
the  machine  was  kept  constantly  in  motion,  and  the 
movement  usually  conducted  on  to  his  grand  objective. 
The  advertising,  which  forms  so  important  an  item  in 
the  management  of  an  institution  of  learning,  was  well 
done  ;  not  always  by  paying  for  a  square  in  the  columns 
of  the  daily  papers,  often  by  gaining  the  ear  of  a 
reporter  or  correspondent,  and  by  attentions  to  strangers 
who  chanced  to  visit  the  place;  appliances  by  which  he 
drew  a  large  number  of  students, —  in  all  some  four 
thousand  different  individuals. 

With  a  deep  and  permanent  interest  in  details  and  in 
external  order,  he  was  not  unmindful  of  the  higher  pur- 
poses of  education,  the  training  of  the  mind  and  shaping 
the  life.  He  arranged  excellent  courses  of  study  ;  he 
insisted  on  the  drill  requisite  to  insure  mental  discipline 
and  steadiness ;  he  infused  animation  into  the  intel- 
lectual mass  about  him.  He  was  also  successful  in  his 
attempts  to  maintain  a  lively  spiritual  interest  in  the 
school.  One  connected  with  this  administration  writes 
that  hardly  a  term  passed  without  the  conversion  of  a 
good  number  of  students;  the  number  was  often  large. 
A  student  of  early  days  writes  of  a  visit  to  Wilbraham 
on  an  anniversary  occasion. 

"The  annual  services,"  he  writes,  "opened  with  a 
precious  love  feast  on  Sunday  morning.  There  has 
been  a  continuous  revival  at  the  Academy  throughout 
the  year.  The  religious  feeling  was  deep  and  universal. 
The  speaking  was  uncommonly  mature  and  interesting, 
and  the  singing  spiritual  and  delightful.  Such  a  heav- 


416  HISTORY  OF 

enly  atmosphere  is  a  good  element  for  young  minds  to 
breathe. 

"Dr.  Cooke  opened  the  public  services  of  the  day 
with  an  admirable  discourse  to  the  graduating  class. 
Entirely  at  home  in  the  duties  of  the  position,  the  doc- 
tor bears  himself  with  great  ease  in  all  the  appropriate 
functions  of  his  office.  With  his  eye  upon  a  high  stand- 
ard of  excellence  for  the  Academy,  he  is  confident  of 
realizing,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  his  largest  expecta- 
tions. His  discourse  was  well  adapted  to  the  occasion, 
replete  with  wholesome  instruction  and  impressively 
delivered.  In  the  afternoon,  the  Lord's  Supper  was 
administered  and  the  day  closed  with  an  evening  social 
service,  in  which  the  retiring  pupils  took  a  very  tender 
and  affecting  leave  of  their  companions  and  expressed 
their  consecrated  hopes  in  reference  to  their  future 
lives." 

The  appreciation  of  his  services  as  principal  of  the 
Wesleyan  Academy,  by  the  trustees,  is  expressed  in  the 
following  resolutions  passed  unanimously  by  the  board, 
June  23,1874:  — 

Resolved,  That  this  Board  of  Trustees  deem  it  due  to  the  merits  of 
the  retiring  principal  to  record  their  sense  of  the  fidelity  and  ef- 
ficiency, with  which,  for  the  ten  years  of  his  incumbency,  he  has  per- 
formed the  duties  of  this  responsible  office. 

The  trustees  cannot  but  express  their  gratification  at  the  continued 
prosperity  of  the  institution  during  these  years  in  every  department 
thereof ;  and  they  consider  this  success,  under  God,  due  largely  to 
the  unselfish,  persistent  devotion  of  the  principal  to  the  interests  of 
the  institution ;  and  they  resolve  that,  wherever  his  lot  may  be  cast, 
he  carries  with  him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  this  large  board  of 
trustees,  who  have  so  long  been  his  associates. 

For  Dr.  Cooke,  as  a  school  manager,  his  best  friends 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  417 

do  not  claim  perfection.  Defects,  as  well  as  excel- 
lencies, marked  his  character.  He  was  ardent,  often 
hasty  in  temper  and  word,  uttering  things  which  caused 
irritation  and  proved  not  a  little  troublesome  in  the 
management  of  the  school.^  Teachers  were  sometimes 
out  of  sympathy  with  him,  and  students  did  not  always 
move  harmoniously  under  his  rule.  The  ill-feeling 
growing  out  of  some  of  these  rencontres  was,  especially 
in  his  later  time  at  the  Academy,  very  considerable. 
All  this  is  freely  admitted ;  but  we  must  admit,  at  the 
same  time,  that  he  did  a  large  amount  of  valuable  work 
for  the  institution,  which  was  especially  appreciated  by 
his  friends.  The  trustees  certainly  made  a  handsome 
recognition  of  his  services. 

The  claim  that  he  was  a  careful  and  judicious  finan- 
cial manager  is  somewhat  less  tenable.  The  income  of 
the  Academy  was  large  under  his  administration ;  the 
expenditures  were  also  lavish.  But  after  all  these  ex- 
penditures, his  critics  claim  that  there  should  have  been 
something  left  to  reduce  the  debt.  The  fact  remains 
that  through  all  this  period  of  prosperity  he  allowed  the 
debt  to  increase,  which  is  thought  not  to  harmonize  well 
with  economical  and  wise  management. 

On  leaving  Wilbraham,  though  past  the  meridian  and, 
indeed,  advancing  well  toward  sunset,  he  retained  much 
vigor  and  elasticity;  and,  instead  of  falling  out  of  the 
ranks  and  allowing  his  faculties  to  rust,  he  determined 
to  continue  the  use  of  his  talents  in  a  department  to 
which  so  large  a  part  of  his  life  had  been  devoted.  The 
presidency  of  Claflin  University  opened  to  him,  and  he 
accepted  with  the  purpose  of  making  the  most  of  his 
remaining  time.  There,  too,  he  did  a  large  amount  of 


418  HISTORY  OF 

work  and  was  helpful  to  the  institution  and  to  the 
race  for  whose  education  the  university  had  been  or- 
ganized. 

Of  the  many  students  under  Dr.  Cooke,  we  have 
given  the  names  of  a  few  who  completed  courses  of 
study.  Of  one,  who  did  not  live  to  complete  his 
course,  we  give  a  picture.  Frank  Lindley  Crane,  son 
of  the  late  James  B.  Crane,  of  the  firm  of  Crane 
Brothers  of  Dalton,  was  born  in  Dalton,  October  2, 
1851,  and  died  there  November  21, 1873.  He  was  an  at- 
tractive and  promising  young  man,  with  a  fine  physique, 
affable  but  unaffected  manners,  and  a  genial  temper. 
Among  the  students  he  was  a  favorite.  In  the 
religious  interest  of  the  revival  winter,  he  was  a  parti- 
cipant. His  untimely  death,  a  short  time  after  leaving 
the  Academy,  brought  lasting  sorrow  to  all  the  circles 
in  which  he  moved. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  419 


periofc  Iff. 

3.     ®lje   Qlbmimstration  of  the    tteo.  Natl)aniel 
lotos,  SV. HI. 

1874-1879 


Rev.   NATHANIEL    FELLOWS,  A.M. 


WESLEYAN  ACAbXMY.  421 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE      EARLIER     SERVICES   OF     NATHANIEL      FELLOWS, 
A.M.,   AS   PRINCIPAL   OF   THE   WESLEYAN 
ACADEMY. 


1874. 

NATHANIEL  FELLOWS,  who  was  elected  as  the 
successor  of  Dr.  Cooke,  was  born  in  Stonington 
New  London  Co.,  Ct.,  November  19,  1828,  and,  in  early 
life,  enjoyed  only  such  advantages  for  education  as 
could  be  found  in  the  public  schools.  His  conversion,  in 
his  teens,  awakened  a  desire  for  a  more  extended  course 
of  instruction,  which  led  him  to  Wilbraham  and  Middle- 
town,  where  he  was  studious,  regular  in  his  habits  and 
exemplary  in  conduct.  Though  not  a  brilliant,  he  was 
an  accurate  and  thorough  scholar,  mastering  whatever 
study  he  undertook,  especially  those  of  the  severer 
sort,  such  as  the  higher  mathematics.  At  the  close  of 
his  course  at  Wilbraham,  he  was  valedictorian.  In 
1858  he  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan  University  with 
honor,  and  was  selected  by  Miner  Raymond  to  fill  the 
chair  of  mathematics  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  where, 


422  HtSTOfiY  OF 

as  a  teacher  and  a  gentleman,  he  stood  deservedly 
high.  Though  without  the  dash,  the  brilliancy  or 
magnetism  which  are  important  elements  in  the  char- 
acter of  many  teachers,  he  possessed  remarkable  clear- 
ness, astuteness  and  balance  of  powers.  He  was  _a 
level  man.  He  knew  men  and  things  accurately.  In 
the  class  room,  as  indeed  everywhere,  he  was  calm, 
self-possessed,  master  of  the  studies  in  his  department 
and  patient  in  leading  pupils  forward  by  a  thorough 
drill.  Constant  and  persistent  in  his  efforts,  he  was 
satisfied  only  when  the  least  advanced  in  the  class  had 
mastered  the  lesson.  As  a  member  of  the  faculty,  his 
suggestions  and  counsels  were  usually  wise  and  help- 
ful. With  good  sense,  never  disturbed  by  transient 
enthusiasms  or  deceived  by  the  specious  appearances  of 
men  and  women,  he  usually  saw  matters  of  the 
moment  in  a  clear  light  and  with  a  sound  judgment  on 
which  his  associates  could  rely  for  guidance. 

In  1859  he  joined  the  New  England  Conference,  in 
which  he  held  several  important  charges.  In  1872  he 
was  appointed  to  the  charge  of  Worcester  District,  a 
position  for  which  he  was,  by  his  knowledge  of  men 
and  affairs,  his  sound  judgment  and  generous  sympa- 
thies, well  qualified.  Every  interest  in  his  district  was 
cared  for,  and  he  moved  in  harmony  with  both  his 
clerical  and  lay  associates.  In  the  arrangement  of  the 
work  and  men  on  his  district,  he  was  extremely 
judicious. 

The  charge  at  Wilbraham  was  accepted  with  some 
hesitancy.  With  an  ebb  tide,  the  conditions  were  not 
encouraging.  But,  having  accepted,  he  addressed 
himself  earnestly  to  the  task  committed  to  him.  So 


THE    WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  423 

far  from  acting  in  the  dark,  he  realized  the  difficulty  of 
turning  the  tide  and  bringing  the  school  to  a  higher 
position.  The  tendencies  were  downward.  The  out- 
ward current  was  becoming  stronger  with  each  day. 
Hence,  we  may  understand  how  critical  was  the  period 
at  which  he  assumed  the  management  of  the  Wesleyan 
Academy. 

At  the  same  time  he  was  elected  principal,  Mr.  Fel- 
lows was  chosen  a  trustee  and  made  treasurer  of  the 
board.  As  book-keeper,  he  employed  Mrs.  C.  M. 
Nordstrom,  a  very  competent  and  trustworthy  person, 
who  continued  at  the  work  to  the  close  of  the 
administration. 

As  helpers  in  the  department  of  instruction,  he  had 
two  new  men,  viz.,  Daniel  J.  Clark  and  John  H.  Pills- 
bury,  who  served  but  a  single  year.  The  former  was 
born  in  Ludlow,  Vt.,  July  20,  1849,  and  entered  Mid- 
dletown  in  1872.  Without  graduating,  he  studied 
theology  at  Hartford  and  was  settled,  in  1880,  over  the 
Congregational  Church  in  East  Haven,  Conn.  John 
H.  Pillsbury  was  born  in  Livingston,  Me.,  December 
30,  1846.  He  prepared  at  Kent's  Hill  and  graduated 
from  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1874.  At  the  close 
of  the  year  at  Wilbraham,  he  taught  a  couple  of  years 
at  Middletown  and  then  several  years  in  the  high 
school  at  Springfield,  and  later  became  Professor  of 
Biology  in  Smith  College,  Northampton,  where  he  con- 
tinues with  increasing  popularity.  He  married,  August 
7,  1878,  Nellie  S.,  daughter  of  Professor  F.  A.  Robin- 
son, of  Kent's  Hill. 

Edward  E.  Kelsey,  who  had  charge  of  the  music 
department  from  1874  to  1879,  was  born  in  Laporte, 


424  HISTORY  OF 

O.,  July  21,  1840.  He  entered  Oberlin,  but  did  not 
graduate.  Converted  at  college,  he  joined  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  of  which  he  remains  a  worthy  mem- 
ber. On  returning  from  the  war,  he  studied  music  at 
the  Conservatory,  in  Boston,  and  passed  from  these 
studies  to  Wilbraham  where  he  served  successfully,  his 
teaching  being  careful  and  thorough.  Since  leaving 
Wilbraham,  he  has  been  engaged  in  private  instruction 
in  Boston. 

1875. 

The  Conference  of  1875  took  a  hopeful  view  of  the' 
situation  at  Wilbraham,  and  commended  the  new  prin- 
cipal as  one  well  adapted  to  the  work.  The  numbers 
this  year  fell  to  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  as 
against  five  hundred  and  thirty-eight  of  the  year  be- 
fore. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  was  reen forced  by  the  elec- 
tion of  Edwin  H.  Johnson,  Emerson  Warner,  and 
William  H.  Smith.  Edwin  H.  Johnson,  a  large  shoe 
manufacturer,  was  born  in  Lynn,  in  1826,  and  success- 
fully carried  on  business  in  this  native  city  until  his 
retirement  about  1880.  He  has  used  a  large  amount  of 
money  for  charitable,  religious  and  educational  pur- 
poses, especially  in  connection  with  enterprises  in  his 
own  denomination.  Like  all  wise  men,  he  values 
money  for  the  good  which  may  be  done  with  it.  Wil- 
liam H.  Smith  served  but  a  single  year. 

Joseph  C.  Burke,  Emma  A.  Daggett  and  Eloise 
Sears  entered  the  Board  of  Instruction.  They  were 
all  excellent  teachers ;  the  first  and  last  remaining  four 
years,  the  other  two.  Born  in  Middle  town,  Ct.,  Octo- 
ber 31,  1853,  Mr.  Burke  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan 


EDWIN    H.  JOHNSON,   Trustee. 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  426 

University  in  1874.  With  a  mind  clear,  full  and  sym- 
pathetic, he  was  able  to  perform  excellent  service  as  a 
teacher. 

The  year  flowed  on  peacefully  and  without  striking 
incident.  The  religious  interest  was  steady  and  health- 
ful. The  prizes,  which  had  been  established,  became  a 
feature  in  the  closing  exercises  of  this  year.  The 
speaking  at  the  exhibition  exhibited  maturity,  care  in 
preparation  and  admirable  artistic  qualities. 

1876. 

Joseph  Cummings  and  Daniel  Steele  were  elected 
trustees,  the  former  for  a  second  term.  Daniel  Steele 
was  born  in  Windham,  N.Y.,  October  5,  1824,  and 
graduated  from  Middletown  in  1848,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years  as  a  tutor.  In  1849  he  joined  the  New 
England  Conference,  in  which  he  held  leading  charges. 
From  1862  to  1869,  he  was  professor  of  Ancient 
Languages  at  Lima,  and  then  for  three  years  was  act- 
ing Vice-President  of  the  College.  In  1872,  he 
returned  to  New  England,  where  he  is  known  as 
preacher,  teacher  and  writer,  especially  on  subjects 
connected  with  the  higher  Christian  experience. 

In  1876  the  attendance  fell  to  three  hundred  and 
eighty-nine.  Of  these,  twenty-eight  completed  the 
regular  course  of  study.  They  were,  Edward  P. 
Childs,  George  B.  Clifford,  William  R.  Goss,  W.  G. 
Grant,  Martin  W.  Griffin,  William  F.  Leonard,  Charles 
H.  Libbey,  Wilbur  F.  Nichols,  Milton  Percival,  Albert 
J.  Pratt,  Henry  W.  Rolfe,  Charles  H.  Sawyer,  Charles 
A.  Stenhouse  and  Henry  M.  Warren.  Of  the  ladies, 
Harriet  E.  Abbott,  Nellie  E.  Bossett,  Rachel  A.  Byers, 


426  HISTORY  OF 

Anna  C.  Converse,  Anna  B.  Coomes,  Addie  E.  Deane, 
Anna  C.  Kibbe,  Mary  M.  Richardson,  Eliza  A.  Samp- 
son, Laura  B.  Sampson,  Leila  S.  Taylor,  Esther  H. 
Thompson,  Florence  S.  Tombs  and  Clara  Van  Vleck. 

In  connection  with  this  anniversary,  the  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation celebrated  the  semi-centennial  of  the  founding 
at  Wilbraham.  The  attendance  was  large  and  the 
audiences  enthusiastic.  The  oration  was  delivered  by 
Colonel  R.  H.  Conwell,  an  alumnus  of  the  institution. 
The  advance  of  knowledge  and  civilization  was  the 
orator's  broad  theme,  set  forth  with  his  usual  elo- 
quence. Professor  Gill  read  a  historical  sketch,  char- 
acterizing the  different  periods  in  the  development  of 
the  institution.  The  Alumni  Dinner,  at  which  Col- 
lector Simmons  presided,  was  a  reminiscential  occa- 
sion. The  chairman,  who  referred  pleasantly  to  his 
school  days  at  the  Academy,  was  followed,  in  felicitous 
phrase  and  incident  by  Rev.  B.  K.  Pierce.  Then 
came  Dr.  Warner,  Hon.  J.  R.  Buck,  Hon.  V.  C.  Taft 
and  others. 

1877. 

Rev.  S.  F.  Upham,  George  L.  Wright  and  Rev.  A.  C. 
Eggleston  were  chosen  to  the  board  of  trustees. 
Rev.  S.  F.  Upham,  the  eloquent  preacher  and  platform 
speaker,  was  born  in  Duxbury,  Mass.,  May  19,  1834. 
Graduating  at  Middletown  in  1856,  he  filled  leading 
pulpits  in  the  Providence  and  New  England  Confer- 
ences until  1881,  when  he  was  chosen  Professor  of 
Homiletics  in  Drew  Theological  Seminary.  He  has 
been  twice  a  member  of  the  General  Conference,  and  is 
widely  and  favorably  known  through  the  church. 


TSE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  427 

Rev.  A.  C.  Eggleston,  a  prominent  and  able  member  of 
the  New  York  East  Conference,  was  born  in  Western 
New  York,  and  graduated  from  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity in  1858.  As  a  trustee  of  the  Academy  in  which 
he  took  his  preparatory  course,  he  has  done  faithful 
service. 

George  L.  Wright,  a  paper  manufacturer  of  Spring- 
field, was  born  in  Wilbraham,  April  5,  1815.  He 
married,  March  7,  1837,  Caroline  S.  Rogers,  of  Spring- 
field. He  was  president  and  a  director  of  the  Agawam 
Paper  Co.,  and  treasurer  of  the  Worthy  Paper  Co. 
He  is  also  a  director  of  the  Chicopee  National  Bank  of 
Springfield.  In  1859  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives.  In  the 
church,  as  in  the  city,  he  has  always  held  an  honored 
position.  He  is  a  trustee  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  in  Springfield.  A  delegate  to  the  Lay 
Electoral  Conference  in  1876,  he  was  chosen  to  repre- 
sent his  Conference  in  the  General  Conference  held 
that  year  in  Baltimore. 

In  the  department  of  elocution,  Charles  H.  Ray- 
mond took  the  place  of  Joseph  Carhart.  Born  in 
Brooklyn,  O.,  May  5,  1855,  he  graduated  at  Middle- 
town  in  1877.  At  the  opening  of  the  fall  term,  he 
repaired  to  Wilbraham  where  he  was  to  remain  ten  or 
more  years.  In  1879  English  Literature  and  Rhetoric 
were  added  to  his  department.  In  the  years  he 
remained  as  a  teacher  at  Wilbraham,  he  made  an 
admirable  record.  In  his  instructions,  he  was  clear, 
forcible  and  persistent,  taking  the  student  through  a 
course  study  and  severe  drill.  In  everything  about  the 
institution  and  the  pupils  he  felt  an  interest,  and 


428  HISTORY  Of 

strove  earnestly  to  promote  the  interests  of  both. 
With  students,  teachers  and  citizens  he  was  a  favorite. 
Of  few  teachers  in  any  institution,  are  so  many  good 
things  said  as  of  Professor  Raymond.  On  leaving 
Wilbraham  he  took  charge  of  a  house  in  a  preparatory 
school  at  Lawrenceville,  N.J.,  where  he  remains  in 
honor  and  usefulness. 

On  a  quiet  Sunday  in  June,  the  people  were  startled 
by  a  fire  in  the  village,  which  destroyed  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  and  most  of  the  buildings  contiguous  to 
it.  Within  the  burnt  district  the  movement  of  the 
flame  was  rapid  and  the  destruction  complete.  The 
loss  was  about  $34,000. 

The  attendance  this  year  was  three  hundred  and 
twenty- four.  The  commencement  was  an  occasion  of 
interest.  Rev.  A.  B.  Kendig  gave  his  "Model  Man" 
in  the  evening,  and  Professor  Winchester  charmed  the 
Alumni  with  his  "  London  in  1777."  Fourteen  gradu- 
ated this  year.  They  were,  Edwin  G.  Alexander, 
George  R.  Dickinson,  John  C.  Firniin,  B.  F.  Kidder, 
John  W.  Maynard,  William  R.  Newhall,  William  H. 
Ransom,  George  B.  Silliman,  Nelson  J.  West,  Olive 
Abbe,  Minnie  L.  Foster,  Mary  M.  Robbins,  Eliza  J. 
Sutcliffe  and  Madge  S.  Scarlett,  the  last  of  whom 
bore  off  the  honors.  Kidder  and  Newhall  went  to 
Middletown. 

1878. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  was  reenforced  by  the  elec- 
tion of  S.  J.  Goodenough,  L.  C.  Smith,  and  Charles  P. 
Armstrong.  The  last  two  remained  but  a  couple  of 
years  ;  the  former  served  long  and  faithfully. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  429 

S.  J.  Goodenough  was  born  in  New  York  City,  in 
1817,  and  died  in  Wilbraham,  December  28,  1891. 
Orphaned  at  six,  he  found  friends  in  the  church  of  his 
fathers,  who  secured  for  him  a  place  in  the  Methodist 
Book  Room  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  book-bind- 
ing. He  was  at  the  head  of  the  department  when 
the  troubles  occurred  under  Carlton  and  Lanahan. 
Though  his  name  was  involved  in  the  confusion  of  the 
time,  he  was  cleared  from  all  suspicion  in  the  matter. 

On  leaving  the  Book  Room  in  1868,  he  removed  to 
Wilbraham  where  he  has  been  of  great  service  to  the 
school  and  the  local  church.  For  twenty-five  years,  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Sunday  School  Union  and  Tract 
Society,  and  treasurer  of  the  former.  He  married  the 
daughter  of  Rev.  Timothy  Merritt,  one  of  the  most 
revered  men  in  New  England. 

From  the  estate  of  the  Hon.  Amos  B.  Merrill  the 
Academy  now  received  $6,250,  and  the  Memorial 
Church  the  same  amount.  This  amount  extinguished 
the  debt  on  the  church;  and  it  reduced  that  on  the 
institution  from  $27,000  to  about  $19,000.  The  Con- 
ference, as  usual,  speaks  a  favorable  word  for  the 
Academy. 

The  anniversary  sermon  was  delivered  by  Prof.  W. 
N.  Rice,  of  the  Wesleyan  University,  on  Gal.  4 :  9, 
"Be  not  weary  in  well  doing."  Before  the  Corpora- 
tion the  Rev.  O.  H.  Tiffany  spoke  on  tha  "True 
Theory  of  Progress."  The  Alumni  were  addressed  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Lindsay. 

Of  the  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven  students  in 
attendance,  eighteen  graduated.  They  were,  Franklin 
R.  Allen,  Hiram  Griffin,  Karl  B,  Harrington,  Frank  E. 


430  HISTORY  OF 

Howell,  Edward  R.  Rowland,  Manson  A.  Merrill, 
George  R.  Prentice,  Clarence  Spooner,  Joseph  R.  Tay- 
lor, Arthur  W.  Tirrell,  Addie  P.  Abbott,  S.  Jennie 
Burke,  Sarah  C.  Dorchester,  Mary  L.  Halsey,  Hannah 
M.  Hogeman,  Fannie  M.  Merrick,  Cynthia  Merrill,  and 
Harriet  M.  Merrill.  Of  these,  three  went  to  Middle- 
town,  two  to  Boston  University,  and  one  each  to  Yale, 
Amherst  and  Williams. 


THE    WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  431 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE  FINAL  SERVICES  OF  NATHANIEL  FELLOWS  AT  THE 
WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 


1879. 

IN  the  early  part  of  this  year,  the  religious  interest  in 
the  Academy  was  deep  and  pervasive.  Believers 
were  edified  and  sinners  were  converted,  a  result  due, 
in  no  small  measure,  to  the  labors  of  the  village  pastor, 
the  Rev.  W.  T.  Perrin,  and  the  band  of  faithful  work- 
ers associated  with  him.  The  numbers  now  ran  down 
to  two  hundred  and  sixty,  the  lowest  point  in  the  scale 
of  attendance  touched  since  the  opening  year  of  the 
Academy.  Of  these,  eleven  completed  the  studies 
laid  down  in  the  courses  at  Wilbraharn.  They  were,  J. 
R.  Forbes,  George  Gallup,  Annis  M.  'Kilgore,  William 
B.  Owen,  Benjamin  Phillips,  John  L.  Pratt,  Warren 
Tyler,  Clarence  E.  Ward,  Martha  M.  Collis,  Allena  J. 
Dates  and  Carrie  E.  Hanford. 

Rev.  Joseph  Cummings,  D.D.,  addressed  the  gradu- 
ating class  j    Rev.  M.  Trafton,  D.D.,  the  Corporation. 


432  HISTORY  Of 

Rev.  W.  F.  Mallalieu,  D.D.,  gave  before  the  Alumni 
his  admirable  lecture  on  the  characteristics  and  exploits 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

The  event  of  the  day  was  the  resignation  of  the  prin- 
cipal. In  accepting,  the  trustees  express  their  appre- 
•ciation,  in  resolutions  offered  by  Dr.  William  Rice  and 
unanimously  adopted. 

Whereas,  Rev.  N.  Fellows  has  presented  to  this  Board  of  Trus- 
tees his  resignation  of  the  position  he  has  so  ably  and  satisfactorily 
filled  for  five  years,  as  principal  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy; 
Therefore 

Resolved,  That  we  desire  to  express  our  high  appreciation  of  the 
faithful  services  of  Principal  Fellows,  of  the  sagacity  with  which 
he  has  conducted  the  business  affairs  of  the  Institution,  the  prac- 
tical wisdom  which  he  has  shown  in  the  administration  of  disci- 
pline, the  culture  and  scholarship  which  have  characterized  his 
teaching,  the  rare  ability  which  he  has  displayed  in  the  arrange- 
ment and  classification  of  the  various  departments  of  instruction 
and  the  uniformly  wholesome,  genial  and  Christian  influence 
which  he  has  exerted  upon  the  pupils. 

R/solved,  That  we  appreciate  also  the  untiring  and  unselfish 
devotion,  with  which  he  has  labored  to  promote  the  interests  of 
the  Institution  over  which  he  has  presided. 

Resolved,  That  we  take  this  opportunity  to  put  on  our  records 
this  recognition  of  his  faithful  services;  and  we  would  express 
also  our  personal  respect  and  esteem  for  Principal  Fellows  and 
our  warmest  wishes  for  his  prosperity  and  success,  as  he  goes 
from  the  position  he  has  so  nobly  filled  as  Principal  of  the  Wes- 
leyan Academy  to  discharge  the  duties  which  may  hereafter 
devolve  upon  him  in  another  department  of  Christian  labor. 

The  decline  in  numbers  is  the  most  striking  feature 
in  this  administration.  From  the  six  hundred  and 
seventy-nine  of  1866  to  the  two  hundred  and  sixty  of 
1879  is  an  amazing  shrinkage.  This  within  thirteen 
years !  What  is  even  more  remarkable,  the  decline 
came  when  the  school  was  ably  manned.  Principal 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  433 

Fellows  was  an  admirable  manager.  Under  him  the 
school  moved  without  friction.  And  the  Wesleyan 
Academy  never  had  better  instructors  than  Charles  M. 
Parker,  W.  H.  H.  Phillips,  Benjamin  Gill,  Charles  H. 
Raymond,  Watson  F.  Lamb  and  others  there  under 
Principal  Fellows.  In  the  face  of  all  this  came  the 
great  decline  in  numbers.  What  were  the  causes 
operating  to  this  result?  A  few  of  them  deserve 
notice  in  this  place. 

The  hard  times  of  1873  and  onward,  will  occur  to 
every  reader  as  a  leading  feature  in  the  case.  The 
business  world  was  fearfully  disturbed.  It  was  the 
transition  from  the  high  prices  of  war  to  the  low  prices 
of  peace.  In  the  crash  many  great  houses  went  down. 
Men  once  rich  became  poor,  and  those  of  moderate 
means  became  straightened  in  their  resources,  if  not 
actually  poor.  Such  a  state  of  things  in  the  financial 
world  could  not  fail  to  affect  unfavorably  the  attend- 
ance at  the  Academy.  In  many  households,  the  reduc- 
tion of  expenses  became  indispensable,  and  that 
reduction  was  often  made  on  the  side  of  education.  To 
secure  food  and  raiment,  they  sacrificed  the  advantages 
of  higher  education. 

As  the  waves  of  the  ocean  are  often  most  deeply  and 
widely  agitated  after  the  shock  of  the  storm  is  passed, 
so  the  severest  effects  of  a  financial  crisis  on  an  educa- 
tional institution  are  often  realized  long  after  the  crash. 
This  was  the  case  in  1837  and  again  in  1857,  at  the 
Wesleyan  Academy.  The  crisis  of  1837  was  felt 
through  the  business  world,  but  the  prosperity  of  the 
Academy  continued  flush  for  a  year  or  more  thereafter. 
When  business  began  to  revive,  the  effect  of  the  crisis 


434  HISTORY  OF 

on  the  school  became  every  day  more  visible.  The 
severest  pressure  came  as  late  as  1843,  when  the  aca- 
demic ship  touched  bottom  and  began  gradually  to 
ascend.  In  1857,  when  the  crisis  was  sudden,  sharp 
and  brief,  the  school  was  fullest.  The  decline  came 
during  the  three  or  four  years  afterwards,  when  busi- 
ness had  completely  revived.  The  like  happened  in 
the  crisis  of  1873.  The  shock  came  in  1873,  but  the 
effects  extended  as  a  dark  cloud  over  the  entire  period 
of  Mr.  Fellows'  administration.  The  flow  of  patronage, 
so  full  at  the  time  the  business  disturbance  began, 
diminishes  for  five  years.  Unlike  the  crisis  of  1837  and 
1857,  that  of  1873  was  persistent.  There  was  no  reac- 
tion, no  spring  back  to  old  prices,  and  to  former  busi- 
ness activity.  Affairs  remained  inactive  through  several 
years. 

Again,  there  was  a  natural  reaction  from  the  great 
prosperity  of  the  rebuilding  period,  when  there  was 
much  to  advertise  the  Academy.  The  institution  was 
reconstructed,  in  more  glorious  form  than  the  original, 
which  was  itself  a  standing  advertisement ;  and  in 
securing  this  rehabilitation,  the  principal  and  other 
agents  were  constantly  among  the  people,  drawing 
attention  to  the  increased  advantages  to  be  secured  by 
the  improvements.  The  bow  having  been  bent  to  its 
utmost  tension,  there  must  needs  be  an  unbending.  Its 
very  misfortunes  had  served  to  keep  the  institution 
before  the  public ;  the  more  prosperous  era  was  also 
one  of  decline  in  numbers.  From  1866  the  decline 
was  constant  down  to  1879.  The  hard  times  did  not 
originate,  they  only  hastened  the  collapse.  If  the  busi- 
ness crisis  of  1873  had  not  occurred,  the  pressure  upon 


THE    WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  435 

the  Academy  would  no  doubt  have  been  less  severe 
but  would  still  have  been  most  sensibly  felt. 

There  was  another  difficulty;  the  advertising,  so 
necessary  to  keep  a  literary  institution  before  the 
public,  was  sparingly  employed  under  Fellows.  The 
grand  advertisement  of  rebuilding  was  withdrawn  j 
the  new  things  had  become  old,  and  for  that  reason 
failed  to  attract  special  attention.  After  this  period  of 
conspicuity,  it  had  come  in  some  way  to  be  accepted 
that  the  Academy  needed  no  advertising,  as  the  natural 
flow  of  patronage  would  keep  its  classes  full.  The 
mistake  soon  became  apparent  to  all.  There  are  few 
schools  which  can  afford  to  dispense  with  advertising. 
Here  and  there  one,  which  from  age,  position,  prestige 
or  connections  may  itself  prove  a  sufficient  advertise- 
ment. It  is  the  exception,  not  the  rule  by  which  ordi- 
nary institutions  must  be  governed.  Under  the  new 
principal  the  machinery  moved  in  such  order  and 
quietude  that  the  outside  public,  no  longer  hearing  the 
noise  of  the  wheels,  forgot  that  the  institution  was  in 
operation,  or  even  in  existence,  and,  of  course,  the 
number  of  students  rapidly  declined,  the  internal  order 
and  harmony,  as  it  were,  proving  a  hindrance  to  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  the  Academy.  The  valuable 
qualities  of  a  literary  institution  must  be  noised  abroad, 
if  in  no  other  way,  by  the  whir  and  rattle  of  its  gearing. 
In  some  way  people  must  learn  that  you  are  around  and 
engaged  in  earnest  work. 

Meantime,  prices  in  the  Academy  had  gone  up. 
There  was  board  for  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  no  longer. 
Instead  of  being  a  very  cheap  school,  it  had  corne  to 
rank  with  those  institutions  which  make  reasonable 


436  HISTORY  OF 

charges  and  furnish  a  full  equivalent.  There  was  no 
manual  labor  department,  no  easy  method  of  meeting 
bills.  As  a  result,  the  poorer  part  of  the  old  constitu- 
ency dropped  away,  and  the  school  had  to  find  a  new 
one  among  people  of  some  means.  This  transition 
required  time. 

At  the  same  time  the  competition  with  rival  acade- 
mies and  the  high  schools,  which  have  become  such  an 
attraction  in  every  considerable  village  and  every  city 
of  the  Bay  State,  was  becoming  more  sharp.  People 
who  had  good  educational  advantages  at  their  doors 
were  not  likely  to  send  their  children  to  an  academy  at 
a  distance.  As  a  result,  the  Academy  became  the 
school  for  special  classes  -^  those  who  begin  late  in 
life,  those  who  wish  to  prepare  for  college  or  the  active 
duties  of  life  more  rapidly  than  can  be  done  in  the 
public  schools,  or,  it  may  be,  those  who  live  in  small 
towns  without  high  school  advantages. 

The  finances  of  the  period  were  handled  by  the  prin- 
cipal with  amazing  skill.  He  had  the  rare  wisdom  to 
make  much  of  little,  to  hammer  out  the  penny,  so  as 
to  make  it  as  good  as  two.  Compared  with  former 
years,  the  income  from  regular  sources  was  quite  small; 
but  he  turned  that  small  income  to  the  very  best  advan- 
tage. There  was  no  useless  expenditure.  Every 
leakage  was  stopped.  The  greatest  care  was  used  to 
insure  an  ample  return  for  every  dollar  expended. 
Besides  meeting  the  current  expenses,  including  a 
large  interest  on  the  debt,  out  of  the  regular  income,  he 
rebuilt  the  barns  burned  during  the  last  year  of  his 
predecessor,  at  a  cost  of  $3,700,  spent  $1,000  on  the 
music  department,  and  paid  $2,000  of  the  debt.  The 


THE   WESLETAN  ACADEMY.  437 

debt,  as  he  found  it  in  1874,  was  about  $27,000.  By  aid 
of  the  $6,250  from  Amos  B.  Merrill,  he  reduced  this 
debt  to  about  $17,000.  This  is  certainly,  under  the 
circumstances,  a  remarkable  showing.  To  attain  this 
result  required  no  little  vigilance  and  nerve.  Every 
superfluous  officer  was  dismissed.  The  salaries  were  all 
reduced.  None  but  the  most  necessary  improvements 
were  made.  At  some  points  the  expenditure  of  larger 
sums  would  have  been  desirable ;  but  the  withholding 
saved  the  institution  from  extreme  embarrassment,  if 
not  bankruptcy.  In  this  high  endeavor,  the  principal 
was  aided  by  the  steward,  who  raised  on  the  farm  a 
large  part  of  the  supplies  needed  in  the  boarding  house. 
Above  any  farm  manager  ever  employed  by  the  institu- 
tion, he  knew  how  to  transform  waste  land  into  a 
garden,  and  to  make  two  stalks  of  corn  grow  where 
only  one  had  been  produced  before.  The  principal  and 
this  admirable  farmer  served  as  an  endowment  for  the 
institution. 

But  the  principal  had  become  convinced  that,  to 
revive  the  school,  a  change  of  method  would  be  indis- 
pensable. To  increase  the  patronage  of  the  institution, 
renewed  attention  must  be  given  to  advertising.  The 
new  departure,  he  thought,  could  be  best  made  by  a  new 
man  at  the  head,  whose  advent  upon  the  scene  would 
itself  serve  to  draw  attention  to  the  Academy.  Hence, 
he  offered  his  resignation. 

At  the  close  of  his  labors  at  Wilbraham,  Mr.  Fellows 
resumed  his  work  in  the  pastorate.  For  a  year,  he  had 
charge  of  a  church  in  Montpelier,  Vt.,  and  then  for 
another  year  he  taught  Moral  Science  in  the  Vermont 
Conference  Seminary.  In  1881,  he  returned  to  Massa- 


438  HISTORY  OF 

chusetts  and  was  stationed  in  Webster  Square,  Wor- 
cester. The  next  year,  he  was  appointed  Presiding 
Elder  of  Springfield  District.  At  the  close  of  this 
prosperous  and  delightful  term  he  was  stationed  at 
Boston  Street,  Lynn,  passing  thence  to  Southbridge  and 
Newton  Upper  Falls. 


4.     ^bministration    of  Keo    (Seorge  Jtt.   Steeie, 
.,  1879  — 1892. 


Rev.   GEOR3E    M.    STEELE,    D.D. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  439 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

THE  EARLIER   SERVICES    OF    GEORGE   M.   STEELE,    D.D. 
AS  PRINCIPAL   OF  THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY. 


1879. 

IN  1879,  Dr.  Steele,  a  man  of  large  ability  and  sound 
judgment,  a  ripe  scholar,  an  experienced  educator,  a 
careful  and  judicious  business  manager,  a  successful  dis- 
ciplinarian with  the  instinct  and  capacity  for  general 
school  management,  was  elected  principal  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  Academy.  The  high  expectations  created  by  the 
election  of  a  man  so  well  furnished  for  his  work  have 
been  more  than  met  in  an  administration  extending  over 
a  dozen  years  or  more.  From  a  depressed  condition, 
the  institution  has  been  elevated  under  the  labors  of 
the  principal  and  his  co-labor ateurs,  to  a  position  of 
assured  and  healthy  prosperity. 

The  Rev.  George  M.  Steele,  D.D.,  son  of  the  Rev. 
Joel  Steele,  an  honored  member  of  the  New  England 
Conference,  was  born  in  Straff ord,  Orange  County,  Vt., 
April  13, 1823.  His  youth  was  spent  on  a  farm  in  his 
native  town,  with  a  chance  for  meager  schooling  during 


440  HISTORY  OF 

the  winter  months.  The  few  advantages  afforded  in 
those  years  were  improved  to  the  utmost.  With  a  little 
touching  up  of  his  knowledge  at  Newbury  Seminary  for 
a  year  or  two,  he  was  able  to  teach  and  complete  his 
preparation  for  college.  He  graduated  with  good 
standing  from  the  Wesleyan  University  in  1850,  in  the 
class  with  Nathaniel  J.  Burton,  William  S.  Studley, 
John  M.  Van  Vleck  and  others  who  have  attained  emi- 
nence in  life.  At  the  close  of  his  college  course,  he 
spent  three  years  (1850-1853)  at  Wilbraham  as  teacher 
of  Mathematics  and  Latin,  making  a  fine  success  and 
winning  the  favor  of  all  with  whom  he  was  associated. 
As  an  instructor,  he  possessed  clearness  of  perception, 
accuracy,  breadth  of  intelligence,  sound  sense  and  facil- 
ity in  communicating  his  ideas  to  the  mind  of  the  pupil. 

Joining  the  New  England  Conference  in  1853,  he 
held,  during  twelve  years,  leading  charges  in  Fitchburg, 
Lowell,  Lynn  and  Boston,  where  his  labors  were  highly 
acceptable  and  successful.  Though  not  an  orator,  he 
was  a  clear  and  forcible  thinker,  affording  such  fresh 
and  striking  views  of  the  truths  delivered  as  to  interest 
and  impress  all  thoughtful  hearers  and  to  edify  the 
members  of  the  flock.  In  sympathy  with  all  movements 
for  the  extension  of  the  cause  of  Christ  —  the  Sunday 
school,  the  pastoral  work,  the  class  and  social  meetings 
—  his  forte,  nevertheless,  was  in  addressing  the  intellect 
and  in  presenting  those  truths  and  phases  of  the  gospel 
which  commend  themselves  to  educated  people.  Even 
in  the  pulpit  he  was  an  educator. 

In  1865,  he  was  chosen  president  of  Lawrence  Uni- 
versity, a  position  he  held  with  honor  and  great  useful- 
ness until  his  removal  to  Wilbraham  in  1879,  doing 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  441 

much  to  strengthen  and  upbuild  a  young  institution  in 
the  growing  northwest,  as  well  as  to  evince  his  own 
rare  qualifications  for  the  management  of  educational 
enterprises.  During  his  long  stay  at  Appleton,  he 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  both  the  institution  and 
the  people  of  the  region  ;  for  he  was  a  citizen,  taking  a 
deep  interest  in  whatever  concerned  the  State,  as  well 
as  an  educator,  careful  in  the  training  of  those  com- 
mitted to  his  charge.  Under  his  wise  management,  the 
number  of  students  steadily  increased  and  the  general 
interests  of  the  university  were  advanced.  Upon  young 
men  of  promise,  especially,  he  exerted  a  strong  and  sal- 
utary influence,  communicating  to  them  a  fresh  and 
larger  inspiration  and  giving  safe  direction  to  their 
awakening  powers.  As  a  writer  of  freshness  and 
strength,  he  had  already  become  widely  known  in  news- 
paper and  magazine  articles;  and  as  instructor  in  polit- 
ical economy,  he  made  himself  quite  familiar  with  the 
economical  and  financial  problems  which  agitated  the 
country.  He  is  the  author,  also,  of  text  books  ;  those 
on  political  economy  and  Bible  study  have  found  great 
favor  with  the  public. 

In  1866  he  received  the  title  of  D.D.  from  the  North- 
western University,  and  in  1879,  that  of  LL.D.  from 
Lawrence  University.  In  1871  he  was  a  member  of 
the  board  of  visitors  to  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapo- 
lis, Md.,  and  in  1873  he  traveled  in  Europe.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  General  Conferences  of  1868,  1882  and 
1876.  He  married  Miss  Susan  J.  Swift  of  Province- 
town,  a  woman  of  rare  ability  and  fine  accomplish- 
ments, July  1,  1852.  Children :  Lilian,  born  October 
28,  1855,  died  July  29,  1858;  George  Francis,  born 


442  HISTORY  OF 

October  16,  1858;  Harriet,  born  October  24, 1860,  died 
April  16, 1869. 

In  seeking  a  new  head  for  the  institution  at  Wilbra- 
ham,  it  was  quite  natural  that  the  trustees  should  turn 
to  one  who  had  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  wide  experi- 
ence and  whose  rare  qualifications  had  made  him  suc- 
cessful in  handling  a  literary  institution.  They  held 
that  past  success  was  the  best  guarantee  for  the  future. 
At  the  same  time,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  and  chosen  treasurer  of  the  corporation. 
With  him  were  chosen  two  other  trustees,  viz.,  James 
P.  Magee  and  the  Rev.  Willard  F.  Mallalieu,  D.D., 
the  former,  so  long  and  favorably  known  as  the  agent 
of  the  Methodist  book  room  in  Boston,  served  but  a 
couple  of  years,  the  latter  continues  to  the  present 
time  and  lias  efficiently  cooperated  in  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  of  the  board  until  his  election  to  the 
Episcopacy  in  1884,  when  his  new  duties  called  him  to 
the  South. 

Miss  Catherine  J.  Chamberlayne,  a  lady  admirably 
qualified  for  the  position,  was  chosen  preceptress.  To 
a  mind  clear,  strong  and  cultivated,  she  united  the  gift 
of  teaching  as  well  as  the  art  of  governing,  enabling  her 
to  hold  with  a  firm  and  steady  hand  the  classes  commit- 
ted to  her  charge,  imparting  knowledge  and  insuring 
discipline.  A  graduate  of  Elmira  College,  Miss  Cham- 
berlayne had  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  large  experience 
in  teaching  and  in  dealing  with  students  at  Lasell, 
and  at  the  Wesleyan  Female  College  in  Cincinnati. 
One  so  well  equipped  for  her  work  by  natural  gifts, 
study  and  travel  abroad,  could  not  fail  to  mould  and 
improve  her  department.  Until  her  departure  in  1886, 


THK  WES  LET  AN  ACADEMY.  443 

she  exerted  a  wide  and  salutary  influence  on  the 
school. 

The  board  of  instruction  was  further  reenforced  by 
the  election  of  Henry  L.  Taylor,  who  served  for  a  single 
year,  and  Mary  E.  Wethervvax,  a  competent  and  faith- 
ful instructor,  who  had  charge  of  classes  in  German 
and  English.  Many  of  the  classes  under  her  instruc- 
tion were  large,  requiring  much  care  and  labor. 

Dr.  Steele  entered  upon  his  work  with  courage  and 
efficiency,  though  not  without  a  measure  of  anxiety  as 
to  the  outcome.  It  was  hoped  the  change  of  times 
would  give  a  favorable  turn  to  the  school,  especially  in 
an  increase  of  attendance  ;  but  the  gain  in  this  particu- 
lar, the  first  year,  was  less  than  had  been  anticipated. 
The  number  of  pupils  rose  from  two  hundred  and  sixty 
to  two  hundred  and  ninety-nine,  a  very  encouraging 
gain,  though  not  enough  to  materially  affect  the 
condition  of  the  treasury.  The  rigid  economy  of  the 
preceding  five  years  could  be  no  longer  maintained. 
The  wear  and  tear  of  those  years  had  made  improve- 
ments necessary.  At  the  end  of  the  year  there  was 
found  a  deficit  of  three  thousand  dollars.  But  in 
the  face  of  this  discouraging  fact,  the  year  was  one  of 
success  and  encouragement.  The  ship,  as  we  said,  had 
touched  bottom  and  was  gradually  ascending,  an  aspect 
of  the  case  which  encouraged  all  concerned  to  labor 
and  to  wait  for  the  better  day. 

1880. 

In  entering  his  second  year  as  principal  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  Academy,  Dr.  Steele  rejoiced  with  trembling. 
The  gains  made  in  numbers  were  encouraging,  though 


444  HISTORY  OF 

not  sufficiently  encouraging  to  afford  entire  assurance. 
The  attendance  had  arisen  from  two  hundred  and 
ninety-nine  to  three  hundred  and  twenty-two.  Encour- 
aging as  was  the  increase  in  attendance,  it  was  not 
sufficient  to  prevent  another  ugly  deficit  in  the  account 
of  the  treasurer.  To  prevent,  if  possible,  its  recur- 
rence, the  principal  was  fruitful  in  expedients.  One 
of  these  was  the  drawing  of  fresh  talent  to  the  boards 
of  government  and  instruction;  he  put  the  school  in 
prime  condition,  and  at  the  same  time  endeavored  to 
catch  the  ear  of  the  public.  David  H.  Ela,  D.D.,  and 
D.  B.  Rising  were  elected  trustees.  The  former  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  New  England  Conference,  and 
qualified  by  talent  and  experience  in  the  management 
of  a  literary  institution  to  render  important  service  in 
the  board;  the  latter  was  a  large  business  man  of 
Springfield,  whose  practical  judgment  and  familiarity 
with  affairs  made  him  very  serviceable  to  the  institu- 
tion. Residing  so  near  the  institution,  his  services 
were  available  on  every  important  occasion. 

At  this  time  Miss  Adelia  M.  Hall  became  registrar, 
bookkeeper  and  cashier  for  the  corporation.  The 
daughter  of  Judge  Obed  Hall,  of  Stamford,  Vt.,  she 
graduated  at  the  Academy  in  1871.  After  spending 
several  _years  in  successful  teaching,  she  returned  to 
serve  the  institution  as  keeper  of  the  accounts.  By 
her  fidelity,  accuracy  and  devotion  to  business,  she  has 
been  extremely  serviceable  to  the  treasurer  and  the 
corporation.  The  trustees  have  several  times  expressed 
their  sense  of  the  value  of  her  services,  in  keeping  an 
accurate  and  orderly  account  of  all  their  business  trans- 
actions, and  in  carefully  attending  to  the  smallest  items 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  445 

in  her  department.  Any  doubtful  matter  was  at  once 
and  carefully  investigated,  and  all  the  facts  ascertained. 
Indeed,  the  entire  financial  interests  of  the  institution 
were  constantly  in  hand,  so  that  the  status  of  any 
matter  could  be  ascertained  by  instant  reference  to  the 
record. 

Though  the  changes  under  Dr.  Steele  have  not  been 
sudden  or  striking,  there  has  been  steady  improvement 
and  advancement  in  every  department  of  the  school.  The 
classical  course,  in  which  preparation  for  college  was  se- 
cured, and  which  had  for  many  years  been  ably  manned, 
was  now  extended  and  enlarged.  Instead  of  three  years 
in  Latin  and  two  in  Greek,  four  in  Latin  and  three  in 
Greek  were  required,  resulting  in  a  better  preparation 
for  college,  and  raising  the  reputation  of  the  Academy 
as  a  preparatory  school.  The  natural  science  depart- 
ment was  also  improved  by  the  addition  of  studies  in 
practical  chemistry,  and  the  fitting  up  of  a  valuable 
laboratory  for  this  purpose.  The  rnineralogical  cabinet 
was  also  better  arranged  and  brought  near  the  recitation 
room.  The  course  in  English  literature  too  was  en- 
larged, and  increased  interest  as  well  as  facilities,  began 
to  characterize  these  studies.  The  art  department,  once 
flourishing  but  now  fallen  to  decay,  was  recuperated 
under  the  direction  of  Miss  Wyman,  and  has  since 
remained  an  attractive  feature  of  the  school.  During 
the  hard  times,  the  department  of  music  was  almost 
inevitably  neglected ;  but  under  the  direction  of  Miss 
Stebbins,  and  at  great  expense,  the  musical  instruction 
has  been  of  a  high  grade.  Under  Prof.  Raymond,  the 
gymnasium  now  became  a  more  important  feature  in 
the  instruction  of  the  Academy.  At  first  attendance 


446  HISTORY  OF 

was  voluntary,  but  as  the  facilities  were  increased  and 
the  method  improved,  attendance  was  required  of  all 
members  of  the  school.  The  advantages  to  the  health 
and  physical  development  of  the  students  have  been 
very  great,  repaying  the  few  hundred  dollars  expended 
for  the  outfit.  The  physical  training  secured  here  is 
now  appreciated  by  nearly  all  the  students,  who  would 
be  quite  unwilling  to  relinquish  what  was  at  first 
regarded  as  a  task. 

A  new  feature  in  the  instruction  of  the  Academy 
introduced  by  Dr.  Steele,  was  the  study  of  the  English 
Bible,  after  the  same  thorough  manner  in  which  we 
deal  with  a  classic.  In  this,  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
was  a  pioneer,  as  the  work  began  here  more  than  five 
years  before  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Harper  and  his  associ- 
ates, and  Dr.  Steele's  system  has  been  adopted  in  more 
than  a  hundred  academies  and  collegiate  institutions. 
At  first  there  was  some  friction,  and  great  fears  on  the 
part  of  the  management  that  the  attempt  would  prove 
a  failure,  or  be  regarded  by  the  patronizing  public  as  a 
hobby.  But  those  fears  were  groundless.  The  reluc- 
tance at  first  felt  by  some  students  soon  gave  place  to 
cordial  interest,  and  the  study  is  now  a  matter  of  course 
in  the  school,  requiring  less  effort  to  keep  the  plan  in 
operation  than  to  maintain  the  general  exercises  of 
composition  and  declamation.  The  study  is  made  a 
part  of  the  Sunday  exercises.  The  preaching  services 
are  attended  in  the  morning,  and  then,  in  the  afternoon, 
the  whole  school  assembles  for  Bible  study.  The 
classes  meet,  under  their  several  teachers,  in  separate 
recitation  rooms ;  the  students  are  marked  as  in  other 
studies,  and  an  examination  is  required  at  the  close  of 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  447 

the  term.  The  course,  extending  over  four  years, 
covers  the  entire  Bible,  enabling  the  student  to  obtain 
an  intelligent  view  of  the  whole  scheme  of  revelation, 
and  to  read  with  greater  insight  and  profit  its  minuter 
portions.  In  this  way  Sunday,  instead  of  being  an  idle 
day,  so  disagreeable  and  dangerous  to  the  young  and 
active,  is  filled  up  with  agreeable  and  profitable  exer- 
cises. In  this  way,  too,  the  scheme  is  promotive  of  the 
good  order  and  discipline  of  the  school.  What  was  at 
first  regarded  with  doubt  and  suspicion,  has  come  to  be 
accepted  as  a  valuable  feature  in  the  instruction  of  the 
Academy.  Neither  students  nor  patrons  would  go  back 
to  the  old  order. 

1881. 

In  1881  Dr.  Steele  began  to  plan  for  the  extinguish- 
ment of  the  debt  which  had  so  long  hung  as  an  incubus 
on  the  institution.  In  addition  to  the  usual  efforts  to 
raise  money,  the  Rev.  C.  L.  Eastman  was  appointed 
agent  of  the  Academy.  Though  lie  traveled  through 
the  Conference,  and  collected  some  money  and  secured 
some  students,  he  found  the  soil  hard  to  work.  The 
people  everywhere  felt  that  they  had  performed  their 
duty  to  Wilbraham  in  the  struggle  at  rebuilding.  Hence, 
the  agent  found  them  unprepared  to  contribute  again 
to  the  cause.  In  spite  of  this  cool  reception,  the  prin- 
cipal felt  that  he  must  be  heard  for  his  cause,  and  that 
funds  must  in  some  way  be  secured  to  remove  the  debt. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board,  four  valuable 
members  of  the  body  were  chosen.  They  were,  A.  C. 
Hough  ton,  a  leading  business  man  of  North  Adams ; 
Judge  Jarvis  Rockwell,  an  able  and  influential  lawyer 


448  HISTORY  OF 

of  North  Adams;  Hon.  Chester  C.  Corbin,  a  leading 
layman  and  conspicuous  business  man  of  Webster,  and 
Hon.  L.  M.  Hubbard  of  Wallingford,  Ct.,  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  the  State,  and  late  Secretary  of  State  in 
Connecticut,  who  prepared  for  college  at  Wilbraham, 
and  has  ever  retained  a  generous  regard  for  the  institu- 
tion. With  the  exception  of  Judge  Rockwell,  who 
died  in  1885,  friese  all  remain  in  the  board,  and  have 
performed  much  faithful  service  for  the  cause.  As 
men  of  intelligence,  clear  insight  and  large  enterprise, 
they  have  planned  generously  and  executed  vigorously. 
In  the  commercial  department  Watson  F.  Lamb  was 
replaced  by  A.  A.  Randall,  a  young  man  who  had  been 
connected  with  the  Business  College,  Rochester,  N.Y. 
and  who  was  thoroughly  furnished  for  service  in  his 
department,  and  was  apt  in  the  use  of  his  resources. 
Under  his  management,  the  department  became  very 
popular  and  useful  to  persons  desirous  to  secure  some 
preparation  for  the  details  of  business.  The  increase  in 
the  number  of  students  was  this  year  quite  marked. 
The  numbers  rose  to  four  hundred,  and  for  the  first 
time  under  the  new  administration,  the  regular  income 
equalled  the  expenditures.  This  forward  leap  gave  a 
new  inspiration,  and  caused  all  to  feel  that  the  institu- 
tion had  again  touched  solid  ground. 


Hon.    L.    M.    HUBBARD,    Student  and  Trustee. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  449 


CHAPTER   XL VI. 

THE    LATER    SERVICES     OF    GEORGE     M.    STEELE,    D.D., 
AS  PRINCIPAL   OF    THE   WESLEYAN   ACADEMY. 


1882. 

AT  their  annual  meeting,  the  trustees  chose  two  new 
members  of  the  board,  viz.,  John  W.  Beach  and 
Olfver  Hoyt.  The  Rev.  John  W.  Beach,  D.D.,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  York  East  Conference,  and  a  graduate 
of  the  Academy,  had  served  as  a  trustee  during  a 
former  period ;  and  now,  on  becoming  president  of  the 
Wesleyan  University,  he  again  accepted  the  position, 
in  which  he  was  able  to  render  valuable  service  to  the 
institution.  Hon.  Oliver  Hoyt  was  a  leading  and 
liberal  layman  of  Stamford,  Ct.,  interested  in  every- 
thing relating  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  es- 
pecially in  the  departments  of  benevolence  and  educa- 
tion. He  was  a  wise  as  well  as  a  liberal  giver;  and 
Ms  careful  judgment,  courage  and  practical  suggestions 
rendered  him  a  valuable  member  of  the  board.  Miss 
Nellie  K.  Chamberlayne  was  the  only  addition  made  to 


450  HISTORY    OF 

the  corps  of  instructors.  Though  brief,  her  services 
were  efficient  and  acceptable. 

The  Rev.  Loranus  Crowell,  D.D.,  who  now  became 
financial  agent  of  the  Academy,  was  born  -in  Ware, 
October  28,  1815,  and  died  in  Lynn,  April  8, 1889.  He 
was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Joshua  Crowell,  an  original 
trustee  at  Wilbraham,  where  the  son  was  prepared  for 
college.  Graduating  at  the  Wesleyan  University  in 
1840,  he  was  for  four  years  the  principal  of  the  Spring 
Hill  Academy  at  Sandwich,  Mass.  In  1844  he  joined 
the  New  England  Conference,  and  held  leading  charges 
in  Boston,  Worcester  and  Lynn.  He  was  four  times 
presiding  elder.  In  each  of  these  positions  he  gave 
excellent  satisfaction,  and  held  a  high  place  in  the 
esteem  and  affections  of  his  ministerial  and  lay  breth- 
ren. His  candor,  good  sense  and  unselfish  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  the  Master  and  the  church  gave  him  a 
wide  influence  among  all  classes  with  whom  he  was 
associated.  In  1877  he  was  honored  with  title  of  D.D. 
from  his  alma  mater,  and  he  was  favored  by  an  election 
to  the  General  Conference  of  1856. 

As  a  man  he  was  calm,  cool,  judicious,  with  simple 
tastes  and  habits,  gentlemanly  bearing  and  extremely 
good  sense.  His  instincts  were  all  healthy  and  reliable. 
Men  trusted  his  judgment  and  incorruptible  integ- 
rity, and  were  warmed  to  admiration  by  his  sympathies. 
The  law  of  kindness  reigned  through  his  whole  nature ; 
but,  at  the  same  time,  there  was  nothing  impulsive  or 
weak  in  his  generous  tendencies.  The  tenderness  of 
the  child  was  joined  to  the  most  manly  qualities. 

As  a  Christian,  he  was  extremely  conscientious,  hum- 
ble and  devout.  Though  he  claimed  little  for  himself, 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  451 

a  life  approaching  so  near  to  a  model  could  not  be 
hidden.  The  open  assertion  of  his  devotion  to  the 
service  of  God  could  have  added  nothing  to  the  public 
conviction  of  his  deep  sincerity  and  devout  aspirations 
for  a  holy  life.  He  was  carried  by  no  novelties  or 
impulses.  The  thread  of  his  life  ran  even  the  whole 
way.  The  old  and  vital  truths  and  experiences  of 
Christianity  satisfied  both  intellect  and  heart. 

In  the  pulpit,  he  was  plain,  simple,  gracious, —  a  son 
of  consolation  rather  than  a  son  of  thunder,  meting  out 
the  truths  suitable  for  the  hour.  Though  not  original 
or  striking  in  his  modes  of  presenting  truth,  his  theme 
was  always  evangelical  and  well  studied.  He  was  a 
sensible  and  good  preacher  rather  than  a  great  one. 
What  was  great  in  him  was  character,  which  gave 
emphasis  and  impressiveness  to  whatever  he  uttered, 
and  made  him  influential  with  his  brethren. 

Himself  a  cultivated  man,  he  was  to  the  last  deeply 
interested  in  the  cause  of  education,  especially  in  the 
institution  with  which  he  was  associated.  To  young 
men  who  aspired  to  intellectual  improvement,  he  was 
a  wise  and  gentle  counselor,  often  offering  suggestions 
which  were  extremely  helpful.  In  young  men  who 
struggled  to  rise,  he  was  always  deeply  interested  and 
desirous  .o  inspire  them  with  high  and  holy  purposes, 
and  to  guide  them  into  the  path  of  ultimate  success. 
As  the  financial  agent  of  the  Academy,  he  performed 
an  important  and  difficult  work  in  disposing  of  the 
debt,  which  had  so  long  been  a  trouble  to  the  institu- 
tion, and  in  making  a  beginning  towards  an  endow- 
ment. In  this  work  he  visited  all  parts  of  the  Confer- 
ence, made  a  large  number  of  public  addresses  and  of 


452  HISTORY  OF 

private  applications  for  funds,  keeping  the  interests  of 
the  institution  constantly  before  the  people,  and  in  this 
way  doing  not  a  little  to  increase  the  number  of  stu- 
dents. In  his  excursions  through  the  Conference  he 
took  special  pains  to  search  out  former  students,  and  to 
revive  their  interest  in  the  Academy,  from  not  a  few  of 
whom  he  received  handsome  contributions. 

ZENAS   M.    CRANE. 

Hon.  Zenas  Marshall  Crane,  the  son  of  Zenas  and 
Lucinda  (Brewer)  Crane,  a  leading  paper  manufacturer 
of  America,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  a  student  in  the 
Wesleyan  Academy  as  well  as  a  liberal  contributor  to 
its  funds,  was  born  in  Dalton,  Mass.,  January  21,  1815, 
and  died  there  March  2,  1887.  Mr.  Crane  began  life 
under  favorable  conditions.  With  the  wealth  and  rep- 
utation of  his  father  behind  him,  he  knew  nothing  of 
the  struggle  to  rise  from  poverty  or  misfortune,  so 
nobly  made  by  many  young  men.  His  was  the  more 
difficult  task  of  wisely  using  the  accumulations  of  an 
earlier  generation,  and  of  advancing,  from  his  high 
vantage  ground,  to  the  still  greater  things  made  possi- 
ble by  his  early  opportunities,  by  the  improved  meth- 
ods and  appliances  of  business,  and  by  the  growing 
wealth  of  the  country.  Many  have  struggled  up  from 
the  foot  of  the  hill ;  fewer  have  been  able  to  make  the 
ascent  from  a  higher  starting  point.  Mr.  Crane  was 
one  of  the  few.  So  far  from  being  satisfied  with  the 
achievements  of  the  past,  his  superb  qualities  took  him 
on  to  a  higher  goal,  making  him  an  important  factor  in 
the  business  world,  and  the  foremost  member  of  the 
family  group. 


Hon.   ZENAS    M.    CRANE,    Benefactor. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  453 

His  training  was  of  the  best.  In  the  home,  where  he 
was  reared,  there  was  abundance  to  supply  every 
material  need,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  thorough  appre- 
ciation of  the  value  of  industry,  intelligence,  enterprise, 
morality  and  religion.  The  education,  so  well  begun 
in  the  household,  was  carried  forward  in  the  public 
school  and  completed  in  the  Academy,  where  he  en- 
joyed the  rare  opportunity  of  instruction  under  Dr. 
Fisk,  one  of  the  most  competent  and  inspiring  instruc- 
tors of  his  day.  Besides  the  training  of  the  schools,  the 
sons  of  Zenas  Crane  received  a  thorough  business  edu- 
cation, including  a  minute  knowledge  of  all  the  details 
of  the  paper  manufacture,  as  it  then  existed.  They 
were  required  to  begin  with  the  rudimentary  principles 
of  the  industry,  and  to  advance  until  they  became 
expert  vatmen.  At  an  early  date,  Zenas  M.  was  de- 
tailed to  outside  business.  He  often  drove  the  team  to 
Albany  and  Hartford  for  the  purpose  of  selling  paper 
and  purchasing  supplies  for  the  mill.  In  this  way  he 
was  inducted  into  the  forms  of  business,  and  brought 
in  contact  with  various  classes  of  men,  no  unimportant 
part  of  his  business  education. 

For  many  years  Zenas  M.  Crane  was  engaged  in 
business  with  his  father.  In  1842  the  business  was 
transferred  to  Zenas  M.  and  James  B.  Crane,  sons  of 
the  original  proprietor,  who,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Crane  &  Company,  enlarged  the  business  and  advanced 
the  house  to  a  foremost  place  in  the  paper  world.  In 
1844  they  built  the  stone  mill,  near  the  original  one ; 
and,  when  this  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1870,  they 
erected,  on  the  same  site,  a  larger  and  better  one.  In 
this  the  first  paper  for  paper  collars  was  made.  It  is 


454  HISTORY  oP 

now  used  for  the  manufacture  of  bond,  parchment  ana 
other  exceptionally  fine  writing  papers.  The  Bay  State 
mill  was  leased  in  1850,  and  devoted  to  the  manufac- 
ture of  buff  and  other  writing  paper.  In  1865  the 
property  was  leased,  and  afterwards  purchased  by  Zenas 
Crane.  It  was  burned  in  1877,  but  immediately  rebuilt 
on  a  larger  scale,  by  Zenas  Crane,  Jr.,  and  brother, 
known  since  1889  as  the  firm  of  Z.  &  W.  M.  Crane,  the 
members  of  the  firm  being  Zenas  and  Winthrop  Murray 
Crane,  sons  of  Zenas  M.  Crane.  Ladies'  fine  stationery 
is  the  specialty  to  which  the  mill  is  devoted. 

In  1879  the  contract  for  the  manufacture  of  bank, 
note  and  bond  paper  was  awarded  to  the  Cranes  by  the 
government,  and,  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  from 
this  quarter,  the  property  at  Coltsville,  now  known  as 
the  Government  Mill,  was  purchased.  There  all  the 
bank-note  paper  for  the  government  is  made.  The 
furnishing  of  bank-note  paper  is  not  confined  to  the 
United  States ;  orders  have  been  filled  for  Canada, 
Mexico,  nearly  all  the  South  American  Republics,  and 
even  for  Italy  and  Russia.  This  extensive  demand  for 
their  bank-note  paper  indicates  the  excellence  of  the 
article  and  the  wide  popularity  of  the  firm. 

In  connection  with  this  bank-note  manufacture  is  an 
interesting  incident.  As  early  as  1846,  Z.  M.  Crane 
invented  a  method  of  introducing  into  the  fiber  a  num- 
ber of  silk  threads,  representing  the  denomination  of 
the  bills.  The  bank  at  Northampton,  the  Hamilton 
Bank  of  Boston,  and  some  others,  used  the  "  distinctive  " 
paper  of  the  Cranes,  but  it  failed  to  gain  general  favor 
with  bank  men.  In  1879,  when  the  Cranes  secured  the 
contract  for  the  manufacture  of  bank-note  paper,  Hon. 


TBS  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  455 

John  Sherman,  then  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  ordered 
the  insertion  of  the  silk  thread,  to  prevent  counterfeit- 
ing by  raising  the  denomination.  As  soon  as  the 
distributed  lines  were  ordered  an  Englishman  came, 
claiming  a  patent  covering  the  improvement.  In  this 
embarrassment  of  the  government,  Mr.  Crane  was  able  to 
produce  specimens  of  his  earlier  work  from  the  bank  at 
Northampton,  thus  saving  the  government  the  expense 
of  a  large  royalty. 

But  Zenas  M.  Crane  was  something  more  than  a 
mere  business  man.  As  the  senior  member  and  outside 
manager  of  the  firm,  he  became  the  statesman  of  the 
family  —  a  man  of  broad  views,  large  resources  and 
wide  relations  with  the  public,  qualifications  sure  to 
render  their  possessor  influential  in  whatever  circle  he 
might  enter. 

Though  not  a  professional  politician,  he  cherished  a 
deep  interest  in  whatever  related  to  the  welfare  of  the 
State.  Reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Whig  party,  of  which 
his  father  had  been  a  member,  and  admiring  the  great 
talents  of  its  leaders  and  statesmen,  like  Webster, 
Clay,  Choate  and  Everett,  he  yet  refused,  in  1848,  to 
vote  for  General  Taylor  for  president,  and  from  that 
date  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  Free  Soil  and  Republican 
parties.  He  was  in  with  the  first  corps  which  made  a 
favorable  assault  on  the  slave  system,  and  he  enlisted 
for  the  war,  never  faltering  in  his  allegiance,  or  failing 
to  afford  solid  support  to  the  cause.  Though  not  an 
aspirant  for  political  office,  he  accepted,  in  a  few  in- 
stances, what  was  voluntarily  offered.  In  1856  and  1857 
he  was  chosen  one  of  the  senators  from  Berkshire,  and 
in  Ib62  and  1863  he  was  an  honored  and  useful  member 


456  HISTORY  OF 

of  the  executive  council  with  Governor  Andrew.  It  is  a 
curious  circumstance  ttyat  his  father  had  been  a  member 
of  the  Legislature,  and  also  a  counselor  under  Governor 
Everett  in  1836  and  1837;  and  that  his  son  Zenas, 
after  being  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council  for 
1885,  under  Governor  Robinson,  sitting  in  the  place 
occupied  by  his  grandfather  fifty  years  before. 

Like  his  father,  Zenas  M.  Crane  was  a  man  of  gen- 
erous impulses  and  widespread  charities.  Though  not 
an  indiscriminate  giver,  his  heart  and  hand  were  open 
to  every  good  cause.  He  studied  the  field,  and  often 
contributed  to  worthy  objects  which  others  had  passed 
by.  Observant  of  matters  near  home,  he  was  not 
unmindful  those  farther  away.  His  means  were  used 
in  no  special  line ;  secular,  social,  religious  and  educa- 
tional interests  claimed  his  attention.  As  he  blew  no 
trumpets  before  him,  his  charities  were  usually  un- 
heralded. For  many  years  it  had  been  known  that 
some  one  had  contributed  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the 
funds  of  the  House  of  Mercy  in  Pittsfield,  to  secure 
the  free  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear,  but  it 
was  only  after  his  death  that  the  public  came  to  know 
that  Mr.  Crane  was  the  donor.  When  he  learned  that 
the  friends  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  were  endeavoring 
to  increase  the  funds  of  the  institution,  he  quietly  sent 
his  check  for  one  thousand  dollars  to  the  agent.  To  a 
relative,  long  afflicted  by  sickness,  he  many  times 
passed  his  check,  with  a  kindly  and  appreciative  greet- 
ing. Like  instances,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  were 
not  unfrequent,  and  many  of  them  may  be  known  only 
in  the  judgment. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  467 

To  the  Crane  family  he  sustained  most  intimate  and 
affectionate  relations.  There  were  no  jealousies  arising 
from  his  conspicuity,  and  he  assumed  no  airs  of  supe- 
riority to  any  of  its  members,  not  to  the  younger. 
Even  to  his  sons  he  never  assumed  to  dictate,  allowing 
each  to  learn  self-reliance  by  operating  on  his  own  lines 
and  by  his  own  methods. 

In  Mr.  Crane  were  combined  most  valuable  and  com- 
manding traits  of  character.  In  business  circles  his 
capacity,  sagacity,  superior  judgment  and  incorruptible 
integrhy  were  recognized ;  and,  as  a  citizen,  neighbor 
and  friend,  he  became  "  conspicuous  for  his  generosity, 
his  fidelity  to  dut}^,  his  support  of  education,  temperance 
and  religion."  With  those  struggling  with  misfortune 
and  poverty  he  was  tenderly  sympathetic  and  ever  ready 
to  afford  wise  counsel  and  to  extend  the  helping  hand. 
The  true  friend  of  every  man,  he  was  the  best  beloved 
and  most  highly  honored  citizen  of  the  town.  With 
health  and  increasing  prosperity,  with  his  family  about 
him,  and  a  troop  of  friends  outside  the  domestic  circle 
who  appreciated  his  great  qualities  of  mind  and  heart 
and  delighted  in  his  fellowship,  he  passed  into  the 
serene  and  beautiful  autumn  of  a  well  spent  life.  His 
exit  was  sudden. 

Amid  the  striking  changes  in  social,  industrial  and 
political  life,  the  Crane  family  furnishes  an  instance 
where  all  the  members,  for  three  generations,  have 
been  devoted  to  a  single  industry,  mostly  in  the  same 
town.  The  fact  implies  unity  and  steadiness  of  pur- 
pose, persistence,  intensity  and  diligence  in  business. 
The  staying  qualities,  so  indispensable  to  large  success 
in  any  department,  and  so  richly  developed  in  the 


458 

English  race,  are  conspicuous  in  the  members  of  this 
family.  They  have  the  capacity  to  hold  on  and  hold 
fast. 

Mr.  Crane  was  twice  married;  and,  by  his  two  wives, 
the  daughters  of  Winthrop  Laughlin,  a  prominent 
paper  manufacturer  of  Lee,  he  had  three  daughters, 
Mrs.  George  T.  Plunkett  of  Hinsdale,  Mrs.  H.  O. 
Bates  of  Brooklyn,  N.Y.,  and  Miss  Clara  Crane ;  and 
two  sons,  Zenas  and  Winthrop  Murray  Crane,  who 
successfully  and  honorably  prosecute  the  business  to 
which  the  several  members  of  the  family  have  been  so 
long  devoted.  The  father  is  thus  honored  in  the  suc- 
cess and  estimable  character  of  the  children,  to  whom 
his  memory  must  ever  prove  a  precious  heritage. 
Though  he  has  passed  within  the  vail,  the  odor  of  his 
virtues  remains  diffused  through  the  wide  social  and 
business  circles  in  which  he  was  accustomed  to  move. 

"Considerate,  generous,  just — 
The  best  that  was  in  him  lives  on 
And  blossoms  in  the  dust." 

1883. 

Three  valuable  additions  were  now  made  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees.  These  were,  the  Rev.  James  M. 
Buckley,  D.D.,  editor  of  The  Christian  Advocate,  New 
York;  Hon.  John  R.  Buck,  of  Hartford,  a  former 
student  in  the  Academy,  and  for  a  couple  of  terms  a 
member  of  Congress ;  and  John  H.  Sessions,  a  leading 
business  man  of  Bristol,  Ct.  Men  of  ability  and  wis- 
dom, they  have  rendered  faithful  and  important  service 
to  the  institution.  The  board  of  instruction  was  re- 
enforced  by  William  J.  Lloyd  and  Herbert  G.  Buck- 


JOHN    L.   BUCK,  Trustee. 


WESLEtAN  ACADEMY.  459 

mgham,  who  served  faithfully  for  a  couple  of  years. 
Charles  D.  Woods,  who  served  for  a  longer  term  in  the 
Natural  Science  department,  was  born  in  Brooks,  Me., 
September  11,  1856.  Graduating  at  the  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity in  1880,  he  remained  three  years  assistant  in 
chemistry  at  Middletown,  whence  he  passed  to  Wilbra- 
ham,  where  he  made  a  fine  success  as  teacher. 

The  affairs  of  the  school  moved  with  a  steady  and 
quickened  flow,  though  without  special  incident.  The 
numbers  rose  to  four  hundred  and  six,  a  slight  advance 
on  those  of  the  preceding  year.  The  order  was  admir- 
able, and  excellent  work  was  done  in  every  department. 

1884. 

The  changes  in  1884  were  very  slight,  and  need  not 
detain  us.  The  school  enjoyed  a  large  measure  of 
prosperity,  with  an  attendance  of  four  hundred  and 
eleven. 

1885. 

Two  new  members  were  elected  to  the  board  of 
trustees.  They  were,  Charles  Winchester  of  Ashburn- 
ham,  one  of  the  brothers  who  built  up  the  great  chair 
business  of  the  town ;  and  Oliver  H.  Durrell,  a  Boston 
merchant  residing  in  Cambridge,  who  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Academy. 

At  the  same  time  Karl  B.  Harrington,  Irving  M. 
Norcross  and  Winfield  S.  Rich  became  instructors.  The 
number  of  students  this  year  fell  down  to  three  hun- 
dred and  ninety-three,  but  this  was  temporary ;  the 
wave  came  in  later  in  fuller  volume  and  force,  and  the 
school  moved  on  with  its  wonted  prosperity. 


460  msroRT  or 

1886. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  board,  George  R.  Dick- 
inson, of  Springfield,  was  chosen  a  trustee.  Miss  M. 
Annie  Wythe,  a  lady  of  rare  accomplishments  and  wide 
experience  in  educational  work,  was  chosen  preceptress. 
Besides  travel  and  study  abroad,  she  had  been  an 
instructor  in  several  prominent  schools.  A  lady  of 
great  refinement  and  extensive  culture,  she  was  unusu- 
ally competent  in  the  government  and  guidance  of 
young  ladies  at  a  boarding  school.  Joseph  C.  Rock- 
well, Mary  E.  Rand  and  B.  S.  Annis  came  in  at  the 
same  time  as  teachers,  serving  with  great  acceptance 
and  success.  In  the  commercial  department,  John  E. 
Ricketts,  a  competent  and  worthy  young  man,  took  the 
place  of  A.  A.  Randall. 

1887. 

This  year,  George  A.  Russell,  a  native  of  Maine,  who 
had  filled  several  civil  offices,  and  a  man  of  culture  and 
gentlemanly  bearing,  was  chosen  to  fill  the  office  of 
steward,  made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Dag- 
gett,  whose  place,  it  was  supposed,  could  never  be 
filled  by  a  man  equally  competent  and  efficient.  This 
was  a  mistake.  Though  unlike,  Mr.  Russell  has  proved 
himself,  if  possible,  more  than  equal  to  his  predecessor. 
To  general  intelligence  and  good  taste  as  well  as  sound 
sense,  he  joins  the  utmost  diligence  and  care  for  all  the 
interests  committed  to  him.  Besides  the  careful  and 
economical  management  of  the  farm,  the  buildings  are 
kept  in  repair  and  the  grounds  in  order.  In  the  man- 
agement of  the  house  and  the  supply  of  the  table,  as 
well  as  in  caring  for  every  need  of  the  students,  he 


Rev.   LORANUS    CROWELL,    D.D. 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  461 

displayed  unusual  judgment  and  tact,  a  service  in 
which  he  was  materially  aided  by  his  wife,  a  woman  of 
much  intelligence,  great  kindness  and  skill  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  affairs  of  a  large  and  complicated  house- 
hold. During  this  entire  administration  the  steward's 
office  has  been  ably  filled,  and  contributed  much  to  the 
success  of  the  school.  Alonzo  W.  Lowe  now  took 
charge  of  the  commercial  department. 

But  the  event  of  this  year  was  the  extinction  of  the 
debt  through  the  labors  of  Dr.  Crowell.  This  had 
existed  for  nearly  thirty  years,  or  from  the  time  the  first 
boarding  house  was  burned  and  the  erection  of  the 
new  one,  and  had  varied  in  amount  from  $17,000  to 
$27,000.  In  the  rebuilding  under  Dr.  Raymond,  it  was 
the  design  to  cancel  the  debt  and  leave  the  property 
clear.  The  offer  of  Messrs.  Rich  and  Claflin  to  build 
the  present  boarding  house  was  designed  to  leave  the 
property  unencumbered;  but  instead  of  costing,  as  was 
estimated,  $50,000,  the  new  structure,  with  grading  and 
furnishing,  cost  from  $60,000  to  $75,000,  which  left  a 
balance  of  $15,000  or  $20,000  unprovided  for.  Under 
the  administration  of  Dr.  Cooke,  the  debt,  so  far  from 
being  reduced,  was  actually  allowed  to  increase  to  the 
larger  figure  above  named.  Under  Nathaniel  Fellows, 
partly  by  aid  of  the  legacy  from  the  estate  of  Hon. 
Amos  B.  Merrill,  and  partly  by  the  economy  of  the 
principal,  the  debt  was  reduced  from  the  above  $27,000 
to  $17,000.  During  the  first  three  years  of  Dr.  Steele's 
administration  the  debt  was  increased  from  $17,000  to 
$24,000.  This  arose  from  the  fact  that  the  attendance 
of  students  was  small,  while  enlarged  expenditures  had 
to  be  made  to  repair  the  waste  of  past  years,  and  to 


462  HISTORY  OF 

furnish  facilities  for  enlarged  work.  The  fourth  year 
the  income  had  so  far  risen  as  to  meet  the  regular 
expenditures,  which  was  felt  to  be  a  most  auspicious 
event,  full  of  encouragement  to  the  managers  of  the 
institution.  The  principal  and  trustees  thought  the 
time  now  ripe  for  liquidating  the  entire  indebtedness, 
and  the  services  of  Dr.  Crowell  were  secured  for  this 
specific  object.  Though  no  large  sums  were  secured, 
Dr.  Crowell  was  a  faithful  and  efficient  agent,  and 
succeeded  in  collecting  $19,700.  The  expense  of  the 
agency  was  $5,370,  leaving  for  the  payment  of  the  debt 
$14,330.  To  this  was  added  between  $9,000  and  $10,000 
from  the  income  of  the  school,  and  the  two  sums  can- 
celled the  debt  in  1887,  making  for  all  concerned  a  day 
of  jubilee,  which  was  fitly  observed  by  the  friends  of 
the  institution. 

Besides  the  payment  of  the  debt,  Dr.  Crowell  secured 
some  funds  with  which  to  begin  an  endowment  of  the 
Academy.  Most  of  these  subscriptions  were  in  the 
form  of  annuities,  or  funds  on  which  the  corporation 
was  to  pay  interest  until  the  death  of  the  donors.  In 
this  way  about  $19,000  were  received.  On  some  $11,000 
interest  has  ceased  by  the  death  of  the  parties,  and  the 
amount  has  been  used  either  for  the  payment  of  the 
debt,  or  in  the  establishment  of  scholarships,  or  for  the 
beginning  of  an  endowment  fund.  Dr.  Crowell  secured 
also  funds  for  three  scholarships,  two  of  $500  each  and 
one  of  $1,000.  Still  other  sums  were  raised  for  the 
endowment,  amounting  to  about  $15,000.  The  whole 
amount  raised  by  Dr.  Crowell.  up  to  the  date  of  his 
death  in  1889,  aside  from  expenses,  was  about  $35,000. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  463 

On  $8,000  of  this,  interest  is  still  paid;  the  rest  has 
been  applied  as  above  stated. 

1888. 

The  board  of  trustees  elected  this  year  two  new  and 
valuable  members,  viz.,  Hon.  George  H.  Cowell  of 
Waterbury,  Ct.,  and  Hon.  Loranus  E.  Hitchcock  of 
Chicopee,  both  members  of  the  legal  profession,  the 
former  a  graduate  of  Wesleyan  University,  and  the 
latter  of  Amherst  College.  The  only  change  in  the 
board  of  instruction  was  the  election  of  Roland  W. 
Guss,  a  former  student  in  the  Academy  and  a  graduate 
of  Wesleyan  University,  to  the  chair  of  Natural  Science. 
Harmony  and  prosperity  marked  the  efforts  of  the  year, 
making  it  a  good  and  profitable  year. 

1889. 

Dr.  A.  S.  Flagg,  of  Wilbraham,  and  Warner  F.  Stur- 
tevant,  of  Springfield,  were  chosen  trustees.  Dr.  Flagg 
was  educated  in  part  at  Wilbraham,  and  entered  the 
ministry,  but  throat  trouble  obliged  him  to  turn  aside 
to  dentistry,  in  which  he  has  been  quite  successful. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  entered  the  service,  and  rose 
to  the  rank  of  a  captain.  As  a  resident  of  Wilbraham, 
he  is  able  to  be  quite  serviceable  to  the  institution. 
His  associate  is  a  business  man,  able  to  be  present  only 
at  general  meetings  of  the  board.  In  the  board  of 
instruction  there  were  only  two  changes.  Sarah  Loomis 
and  Roland  W.  Peck  were  elected  as  teachers. 

1890. 

At  their  annual  meeting  the  trustees  elected,  as 
members  of  the  board,  Robert  A.  Davison  of  Rockville 


464  HISTORY  OF 

Center,  Long  Island,  N.Y.,  and  Dr.  Henry  O.  Marcy  of 
Boston.  The  former  is  a  business  man,  who  passed 
through  the  educational  course  at  Wilbraham,  and  the 
latter  a  successful  physician,  who  also  prepared  for 
college  at  the  Academy,  was  born  in  Otis,  Mass.,  June 
23,  1837,  and  entered  Amherst  College  in  1859,  gradu- 
ating iu  1863.  After  studying  medicine  at  Harvard, 
he  became  surgeon  in  the  43d  Mass.  Vol.  and  also  in 
the  1st  Regiment  of  Colored  Troops.  In  1869  he 
studied  in  Europe,  spending  a  year  in  Berlin,  and  then 
continuing  his  tour  to  the  leading  medical  schools  on 
the  continent.  Convinced  of  the  correctness  of  Lister's 
teaching,  he  was  one  of  the  first  in  America  to  adopt 
and  advocate  his  now  famous,  but  then  unknown,  meth- 
ods of  aseptic  and  antiseptic  surgery.  Few  in  America 
have  done  more  to  establish  and  perfect  the  methods  of 
modern  wound  treatment.  In  1880  he  opened  a  private 
hospital  for  women  in  Cambridge,  and  later  removed 
to  Boston.  Dr.  Marcy  has  been  a  considerable  con- 
tributor to  surgical  literature,  and  in  1887  he  was 
honored  with  the  title  of  LL.D.  from  the  Wesleyan 
University. ' 

Three  new  teachers  came  in  this  year;  viz.,  John  F. 
Mohler,  Eva  F.  Pike  and  Ada  Colburn.  But  the  most 
striking  and  painful  incident  of  the  year  was  the  severe 
and  long  continued  illness  of  Dr.  Steele,  the  principal. 
After  protracted  sickness  at  home,  he  repaired  for  treat- 
ment to  Clifton  Springs,  where  he  remained  several 
weeks  with  small  evidence  of  improvement;  but, 
througli  infinite  mercy,  the  tide  at  length  turned  in  his 
favor,  and  he  came  up  gradually  to  a  good  measure  of 
health,  enabling  Urn  to  resume  his  duties  as  head  of 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  465 

the  school.  In  his  necessary  absence  from  the  post  of 
duty,  the  institution  was  fortunate  in  being  able  to 
command  the  services  of  Professor  Gill,  whose  long  ex- 
perience and  ample  furnishing  enabled  him  to  take  the 
classes  forward  without  break  or  damage  to  the  work 
of  the  year. 

1891. 

The  changes  this  year  were  slight,  and  need  detain 
us  only  for  a  moment.  To  the  corps  of  teachers  there 
were  added  Francis  M.  Austin,  George  B.  Kingsbury 
and  R.  Watson  Cooper.  The  first  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  Latin ;  the  second  had  charge  of  the  commer- 
cial department,  and  the  third  was  selected  to  instruct 
in  English  literature  and  physical  culture,  each  being 
excellent  in  his  department. 


466  HISTORY  Of 


CHAPTER  XLVH. 

THE   CONCLUSION. 

HAVING  traced  the  history  of  the  Wesleyan  Acad- 
emy from  its  small  beginnings  at  Newmarket 
down  to  the  present  time,  it  only  remains  to  take  a 
parting  glance  at  the  route  over  which  we  have  passed. 
In  doing  so,  we  may  first  notice  some  general  features 
in  the  administration  of  Dr.  Steele,  and  then  draw 
attention  to  a  few  considerations  connected  with  the 
entire  history  of  the  institution. 

Among  the  noble  men  who  have  administered  with 
so  much  fidelity  and  ability  the  affairs  of  the  Wesleyan 
Academy,  Dr.  George  M.  Steele,  holds  a  conspicuous 
and  honored  place.  As  an  educator  and  school  man- 
ager, he  is  among  the  best.  Judged  by  whatever 
standard,  his  administration  has  proved  a  gratifying 
success.  The  pupils  in  attendance  during  his  term 
of  service,  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  faithful 
instruction  and  wise  guidance,  while  at  the  same  time 
the  moral  and  material  interests  of  the  institution 
have  been  guarded  and  promoted.  Along  all  the 
lines  upon  which  he  has  operated  there  has  been 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  467 

reasonable  advance.  Without  resort  to  extraordinary 
or  sensational  methods,  the  improvement  has  been 
steady  and  healthful,  the  beneficial  effects  of  which 
cannot  fail  to  be  felt  for  many  years  to  come,  in  a 
growing  appreciation,  through  a  wide  public,  of  the 
advantages  of  the  institution  and  in  the  larger  facilities 
for  instruction  in  special  departments. 

An  important  work  of  this  administration  was  the 
removal  of  the  debt,  which  had  long  been  a  burden  to 
the  management,  and  had  proved  detrimental  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  institution.  What  had  been  griev- 
ous to  bear  had,  by  long  continuance,  become  intoler- 
able. Everybody  felt  that  the  removal  of  the  debt  was 
indispensable  to  the  future  prosperity  and  enlargement 
of  the  school ;  but  no  one  seemed  to  know  how  this 
important  end  could  be  secured.  The  field  had  already 
been  canvassed  and  gleaned,  so  that  the  sending  out  of 
a  fresh  agent  seemed  to  be  out  of  the  question ;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  lifting  of  the  school  under  this 
burden  would  prove  a  most  difficult  matter.  At  the 
opening  of  the  administration  the  aspect  of  affairs  was 
very  forbidding.  All  the  doors  of  hope  seemed  to  be 
closed,  and  the  new  principal  struggled  long  and  ear- 
nestly to  pry  some  one  of  them  open.  The  small  success 
of  those  early  efforts  was  disheartening.  Instead  of 
bringing  it  up,  the  millstone  of  the  debt  seemed  liable 
to  sink  the  Academy  in  the  depths  of  the  sea.  So  far 
from  meeting  expenses  the  deficit  the  first  year,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  three  thousand  dollars.  The  continu- 
ance on  this  line  would  soon  prove  irretrievable  ruin. 
In  their  essays  to  reach  a  better  condition,  the  princi- 
pal and  the  trustees  kept  heart  and  pushed  forward, 


468  HISTORY  OF 

sure  that  somewhere  there  must  be  a  favorable  outcome 
to  their  efforts.  How  great  the  achievement  of  this 
cancellation  can  only  be  known  to  those  who  under- 
stand the  difficulties  under  which  it  was  realized.  The 
liquidation  of  the  debt,  at  the  time,  was  a  triumph  of 
faith,  courage  and  persistent  labor.  If  the  amounts 
raised  were  not  so  great  as  those  secured  by  Dr.  Ray- 
mond, they  were  obtained  under  very  different  condi- 
tions and  from  different  sources.  There  was  no  Rich 
or  Claflin  to  whom  appeal  could  be  made.  Aid  from 
the  State  was  no  longer  available.  If  realized  at  all, 
the  amount  must  be  secured  in  small  contributions  over 
a  wide  area,  making  it  a  toilsome  and  difficult  work. 
The  courage  to  work  on  to  success  under  such  condi- 
tions is  worthy  of  all  commendation. 

The  financial  scale  is  now  complete!}'  turned.  In 
place  of  the  debt  there  is  the  beginning  of  an  endow- 
ment, which  it  is  hoped  will  ere  long  be  multiplied 
several  fold,  thus  placing  the  institution  on  a  solid  arid 
reliable  basis  for  the  future.  By  these  efforts  at  money 
raising,  the  property  of  the  corporation  has  been  appre- 
ciated to  the  amount  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  or  more ; 
certainly  a  very  fair  gain  for  one  administration. 

The  large  increase  in  the  number  of  students  is  an- 
other substantial  evidence  of  progress  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Academy.  The  attendance,  in  the  past  ten  years, 
has  well  nigh  doubled.  At  the  beginning  of  the  period, 
during  which  Dr.  Steele  has  had  charge,  the  attendance 
had  fallen  to  the  lowest  point,  affording  an  average 
for  the  year  of  only  one  hundred  and  forty-four  and 
the  ascent  to  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  was 
slow  and  difficult.  There  was  no  leap  ahead,  as  in 


THE  WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  469 

the  rebuilding  period.  In  almost  every  instance  the 
annual  gain  was  small ;  the  saving  clause  in  the  matter 
was  that  the  gain  was  continuous.  Indeed,  the  striking 
feature  in  this  administration  is  the  regularity  and 
steadiness  of  the  movement.  The  average  has  been 
good,  ranging  from  two  hundred  and  twenty  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty,  a  number  which  some  educators  re- 
gard as  sufficiently  large  for  a  single  institution.  But 
these  are  days  for  massing  our  forces,  and  there  are 
accommodations  for  additional  numbers. 

The  quality  of  the  instruction  in  the  various  de- 
partments has  been  excellent.  The  teaching  force  has 
been  well  chosen,  and  has  served  with  great  efficiency. 
The  aim  has  "been  to  make  "symmetrical,  healthy  and 
wise  men  and  women,  rather  than  mere  ladies  and 
gentlemen  —  men  and  women  of  Christian  common 
sense,"  adapting  them  to  live  in  the  practical,  every- 
day world  rather  than  in  an  ideal  sphere  where  super- 
ficial accomplishments  take  the  place  of  practical  tact 
and  solid  judgment.  According  to  the  ordination  of 
providence,  men  and  women  are  to  live  together  in 
families,  and  it  is  very  properly  thought  that  their 
school  training  should  have  some  influence  to  the  sober 
realities  of  our  life  estate.  In  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
co-education  has  been  the  order  from  the  opening  of 
the  Academy.  The  favorable  results  realized  from 
sixty  years'  experience  confirms  the  managers  in  the 
belief  that  the  existing  method  is  the  best. 

The  government  of  the  school  has  been  at  once  firm 
and  kind.  While  the  rules  are  made  to  be  obeyed, 
they  are  enforced  with  uniform  care  and  consideration. 
The  discipline  is  that  of  a  well  regulated  household; 


470  tllSTORY  OP 

the  interest  of  the  student  i.s  consulted  in  all  cases,  and. 
less  regard  is  paid  to  technicalities  than  to  the  merits 
of  the  case  in  hand.  The  principal,  well  versed  in  the 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  especially  of  student 
nature,  has  displayed  the  qualities  of  an  admirable 
school  manager.  Under  his  hand,  the  machinery  of 
administration  has  moved  without  friction ;  the  affairs 
of  the  institution  have  appeared,  to  a  casual  observer, 
to  be  self-regulated ;  but  in  reality  this  admirable  order 
results  from  the  control  of  a  master  who  knows  how  to 
maintain  silent  and  effective  rule.  No  rebellion  or 
mutiny  has  appeared  since  the  early  years  of  the  ad- 
ministration. There  are  many  things  the  principal 
does  not  presume  to  know;  they  are  things  happening 
with  no  bad  intent  and  sure  to  cure  themselves;  but, 
for  serious  cases,  the  harbingers  of  future  disturbance, 
he  has  a  quick  eye  to  detect  and  a  firm  hand  to  deal 
with  them  at  an  early  moment.  His  forte  is  seen  in 
the  prevention  of  evil.  The  dangerous  spark  is  stamped 
out  without  being  allowed  to  kindle  to  a  flame.  And 
this  anticipatory  discipline,  the  perfection  of  moral 
government,  has  been  realized  to  a  large  extent  in  the 
last  administration  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy. 

In  tracing  the  course  of  this  narrative,  no  one  can 
fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  extensive  and  important 
work  performed  by  the  Wesleyan  Academy  in  the 
field  of  education.  Though  classed  with  the  younger 
educational  institutions  of  the  East,  it  furnishes  a  large 
record  of  service;  perhaps  no  seminary,  of  its  age,  in 
New  England,  can  boast  so  large  a  number  of  students. 
After  the  removal  to  Wilbraham,  a  popular  current  set 
toward  the  Academy,  and,  with  slight  exceptions,  this 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  471 

inward  flow  has  been  strong  and  full  to  the  present 
hour.  For  some  reason  the  institution  has  had  a  strong 
hold  upon  the  interest  and  sympathies  of  the  people, 
who,  from  the  first,  have  furnished  a  large  amount  of 
patronage.  From  the  start  it  has  been  the  people's 
school.  All  pupils  have  occupied  a  common  platform 
of  opportunity.  There  has  been  no  aristocracy,  no 
favored  few  ;  the  temper  and  arrangements  of  the  school 
have  been  democratic.  The  standing  of  the  student 
has  been  determined  less  by  family  relations,  social 
position,  or  material  resources  than  by  good  behavior 
and  progress  in  study.  The  proficient  and  earnest  stu- 
dent has  always  held  high  rank  there ;  and,  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  honors,  he  has  been  quite  sure  to  receive  his 
full  share.  This  result  has  not  been  accidental.  From 
the  founding  it  has  been  the  design  of  the  managers  to 
furnish  the  facilities  for  sound  and  thorough  education 
to  the  children  of  those  favored  with  only  moderate 
means.  Money  was  to  be  of  less  importance  than 
character,  enterprise  and  diligence.  In  the  early  years 
of  the  Academy,  prices  ranged  very  low.  The  children 
of  the  poorest  could  make  their  way  there.  As  prices 
in  the  market  advanced  and  additional  facilities  were 
required  in  the  school,  the  cost  became  greater.  But 
even  now,  for  the  advantages  afforded,  the  expenses  of 
education  there  are  quite  moderate. 

Until  recently,  the  exact  numbers  who  had  passed 
through  the  courses  at  Wilbraham  were  not  known. 
The  aggregates  given  in  the  catalogues  footed  up  some 
twenty-eight  thousand.  How  many  of  these  were 
counted  twice  or  thrice  no  one  could  determine  with- 
out a  careful  canvass  of  the  whole  body  of  names,  a 


472  HISTORY  OF 

task  which  was  undertaken  and  completed,  a  couple  of 
years  ago,  by  the  Rev.  C.  M.  Hall.  The  result  gives  a 
larger  number  of  names  than  had  been  allowed  by 
conservative  estimates,  viz.,  sixteen  thousand.  Adding 
the  attendance  since  the  canvass,  and  for  nearly  twentjr 
uncatalogued  terms,  the  numbers  must  now  be  above 
seventeen  thousand.  This  is  certainly  a  very  handsome 
number  to  have  passed  through  a  single  institution, 
whose  history  runs  back  little  more  than  half  a  century. 
It  may  be  doubted  if  any  one  of  the  older  New  England 
schools  can  afford  an  equally  extensive  record  of 
attendance. 

To  the  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  America,  the  founding  of  the  institution  at  Wilbra- 
ham  was  an  auspicious  and  determinative  event.  Its 
influence  was  felt  through  the  whole  church.  The 
success  there  turned  the  tide  of  battle  for  higher  edu- 
cation over  the  entire  field,  and  from  that  day  the  work 
went  forward  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Wilbraham 
became  the  watchword  and  inspiration  to  the  men 
interested  in  extending  the  facilities  for  education 
among  our  people.  It  was  then  first  realized  that  the 
failures  of  the  past,  at  Cokesbury  and  at  New- 
market, were  to  be  succeeded  by  a  brilliant  series  of 
Christian  schools,  planted  in  the  South  and  West  as 
well  as  the  East.  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  Wilbra- 
ham was  a  key  point  in  the  educational  movement  in 
/  the  denomination  ;  the  success  attained  by  Wilbur  Fisk 
•'  was  not  merely  local ;  the  blows  he  struck  were  heard 
in  all  parts  of  the  church,  and  even  yet  resound  over 
the  prairies  and  along  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 

Again,  the  problem  of  co-education  was  solved,  to 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  473 

the  satisfaction  of  most  Methodists,  in  the  experiment 
at  Wilbraham,  which  has  been,  from  the  first,  a  mixed 
school.  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  often  in  nearly  equal 
proportions,  have  been  in  attendance,  and  the  union  of 
these  two  elements  has  always  lent  a  charm  to  the  social 
life  of  the  school.  The  experience  of  more  than  sixty 
years  has  confirmed  the  friends  of  the  Academy  in  the 
conviction  that  the  sexes  are  best  educated  together. 

For  the  most  part  the  teaching  and  governing  force 
at  Wilbraham  has  been  of  a  superior  quality.  If  it 
had  not  been  the  school  could  never  have  run  so 
smoothly.  The  moment  a  man  comes  in  who  is  not 
well  up  in  these  particulars  there  is  disturbance  in  the 
machinery.  But  there  has  been  very  little  trouble 
from  this  source.  The  marvel  is  that,  through  the 
long  period  of  its  history,  the  institution  has  experi- 
enced so  little  friction.  Harmony  and  order  have 
usually  prevailed,  as  in  a  well  regulated  family.  A 
delightful  religious  influence  has  always  been  a  marked 
feature  in  the  young  life  of  the  institution.  There 
have  been  many  revivals  in  the  school ;  but  they  have, 
for  the  most  part,  been  the  result  of  cooperation  among 
the  students  themselves.  The  movements,  so  far  from 
being  shaped  and  controlled  by  outside  forces,  have 
been  spontaneous.  There  are  few  places  where  young 
people  feel  so  free  as  in  the  social  meetings  of  this 
school ;  and  yet  those  services,  even  in  periods  of  deep 
interest,  have  scarcely  ever  run  into  any  extravagance. 
Without  the  interference  of  the  faculty,  there  have 
usually  been  level-headed  students  who  knew  how  to 
steer  clear  of  the  breakers. 

The  competition  of  the  Academy  with  similar  insti- 


474  HISTORY  OF 

tutions,  and  with  the  high  schools  in  the  patronizing 
territory,  is  considerably  greater  than  in  earlier  years. 
But,  if  there  are  more  schools  on  the  territory,  there 
are,  at  the  same  time,  more  students  to  be  educated ; 
so  that  even  though  the  field  be  narrowed,  the  Wes- 
leyan  Academy  will  be  likely  to  retain  a  fair  share  of 
public  patronage.  The  friends  of  the  institution  re- 
joice in  the  multiplied  facilities  for  the  education  of 
rising  generations,  and  are  concerned  only  to  make  the 
Academy  worthy  of  the  public  favor  and  support, 
assured  that  a  really  meritorious  school  will  not  be 
likely  to  lack  students. 

The  changed  conditions  under  which  we  live  make 
an  ample  endowment  of  the  Wesleyan  Academy  ex- 
tremely desirable.  The  cost  of  maintaining  such 
schools  is  greater  than  formerly.  The  equipment  must 
be  more  expensive  and  better ;  the  salaries  of  compe- 
tent teachers  are  at  least  one-third  higher.  The  Acad- 
emy has  to  compete  with  institutions  which  are  more 
amply  furnished  with  funds.  In  order  to  have  an 
equal  footing  the  Wesleyan  Academy  should  have  not 
less  than  a  half  million  dollars  endowment.  With  such 
a  provision  the  institution  could  move  forward  with 
confidence,  and  be  always  in  readiness  to  do  most 
efficient  work.  It  is  earnestly  hoped  that  those  who 
have  means  to  bestow  on  worthy  causes  will  remember 
an  educational  institution  which  has  been  so  serviceable 
to  the  people  and  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 


Rev.  WILLIAM    RICE    NEWHALL,  A.M. 


THE   WESLEY  AN  AUADEMY.  475 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

THE    ADMINISTRATION    OF    REV.   WILLIAM    RICE    NEW- 
HALL,  A.M. 

THOUGH  this  history  closes  with  the  retirement  of 
Dr.  Steele,  it  may  be  proper  to  notice  briefly  some 
of  the  incidents  connected  with  the  opening  term  of  his 
successor,  who  comes  to  the  position  under  favorable 
auspices,  finding  the  institution  in  a  healthy  condition 
with  a  full  flow  of  students. 

The  selection  of  a  new  principal  caused  the  trustees 
not  a  little  anxiety.  The  experienced  and  ripe  men 
in  our  educational  corps  from  whom  selections  had 
been  hitherto  possible,  were  no  longer  available.  Many 
of  them  had  passed  off  the  stage  ;  and  those  remaining 
had  advanced  beyond  the  period  of  service  in  such 
positions.  A  new  departure  was  inevitable.  An  untried 
man  must  be  selected,  and  who  that  untried  man  should 
be  was  the  serious  question,  long  and  carefully  con- 
sidered. There  were  men  in  middle  life  from  whom 
the  selection  could  be  made  ;  there  were  also  young 
and  rising  men  who  were  familiar  with  literary  institu- 
tions and  who  had  a  reputation  to  make  as  school 


476  HISTORY  OF 

managers.  Many  considerations  urged  the  selection  of 
a  mature  man,  having  the  advantage  of  years  and 
experience  in  managing  men  in  other  departments. 
There  were  large  interests  at  stake.  There  was  con- 
siderable property  to  be  managed,  and  the  honor  of  the 
denomination  was  involved.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  trustees  did  not  forget  that  almost  all  advance 
movement  is  made  by  young  men.  Young  men  are 
indispensable  in  inaugurating  reforms  and  carrying 
revolutions.  Alexander  and  Napoleon  were  still  young 
when  they  won  victories  and  founded  empires. 
Washington  and  Adams  and  Hamilton  were  immature 
when  they  entered  the  Revolution.  Dr.  Fisk  was  only 
a  little  past  thirty  when  he  took  charge  of  the  enter- 
prise at  Wilbraham,  and  David  Patten  was  under 
twenty-five  when  he  was  entrusted  with  command  in 
the  midst  of  a  storm.  With  these  conflicting  thoughts, 
the  trustees  assembled,  on  the  fourth  of  April,  1892,  to 
make  the  selection  of  a  principal.  So  far  had  the 
matter  become  settled  in  the  minds  of  the  trustees 
that,  when  the  balloting  was  concluded,  the  chair 
announced  the  choice  to  be  unanimously  in  favor  of 
Rev.  William  Rice  Newhall,  thus  turning  the  scale  in 
favor  of  young  men.  But,  though  comparatively 
young,  the  new  man  is  not  without  much  valuable 
experience  in  the  educational  work. 

The  Rev.  William  Rice  Newhall,  A.M.,  the  principal 
elect,  and  the  son  of  Rev.  Fales  H.  Newhall,  D.D.,  so 
well  and  widely  known  as  a  popular  preacher,  a 
scholarly  writer  and  an  accomplished  instructor  both  at 
the  Wesleyan  Academy  and  the  Wesleyan  University, 
was  born  in  1860,  in  Boston,  where  his  father  was  then 


THE   WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  477 

pastor,  and  was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  William  Rice,  an 
intimate  friend  of  the  family,  whose  name  he  received. 
In  the  beautifubfamily  in  which  he  was  reared  there 
was  much  to  inspire  a  love  of  virtue  and  knowledge.  It 
was  the  home  of  a  gentleman,  a  Christian,  and  a 
scholar  with  refined  tastes  and  literary  aspirations,  and 
who  was  on  intimate  terms  with  tlie  educators  of  New 
England,  and  was,  for  a  considerable  period,  himself 
engaged  directly  in  the  work  of  education.  On  passing 
from  the  household,  he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  our 
best  public  schools,  in  which  he  so  greatly  profited  that, 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  he  went  to  Wilbraham  to 
make  special  preparation  for  college.  At  the  Acad- 
emy, he  made  many  Valuable  acquaintances,  and  was 
on  intimate  terms  with  John  W.  Maynard  and  B.  F. 
Kidder,  now  prominent  members  of  the  New  York 
East  Conference.  While  devoted  to  study,  he  main- 
tained physical  health  and  secured  physical  develop- 
ment by  indulging  in  the  athletic  sports  of  the  time. 

In  1877  he  entered  the  Wesleyan  University,  where 
he  stood  third  in  his  class  the  first  term,  and  was  one 
of  the  ten  speakers  at  the  commencement,  receiving 
special  honors  for  excellence  in  Greek.  At  the  Uni- 
versity, he  was  an  extensive  reader ;  he  also  maintained 
his  religious  standing,  and,  during  his  senior  year, 
began  to  preach.  At  the  close  of  his  college  course, 
he  was  invited  to  become  a  teacher  at  the  Pennington 
Seminary  in  New  Jersey,  and  also  in  the  Seminary 
and  Female  College  at  Tilton,  N.H.  Accepting  the 
latter  invitation,  he  repaired  to  Tilton,  where  he 
remained  but  a  single  year,  when  the  more  favorable 
terms,  proposed  by  Dr.  Blakeslee,  induced  him  to 


478  HISTORY  OF 

accept  a  position  in  the  Academy  at  East  Greenwich, 
R.I.  At  this  excellent  institution,  he  remained  for 
four  years,  with  ever  growing  popularity,  as  a  teacher 
and  a  Christian  man.  In  his  classes,  he  was  enthusi- 
astic and  accurate,  master  at  once  of  the  studies  in 
hand  and  gifted  with  the  ability  to  teach.  In  his 
general  intercourse  with  the  teachers,  pupils  and  citi- 
zens, he  was  invariably  popular.  During  his  entire 
term  at  Greenwich,  he  was  looking  forward  to  the 
ministry  as  his  life-work  and  he  preached  nearly  every 
Sunday,  in  the  adjoining  towns.  The  favor  with  which 
his  ministrations  were  received  by  the  people  confirmed 
the  conviction  that  his  duty  was  in  the  pulpit.  With 
this  persuasion,  he  resigned  his  place  at  the  Academy 
and  in  1885  joined  the  New  England  Conference.  The 
appointing  power,  regarding  his  qualifications  to  deal 
with  student  life,  stationed  him  at  Auburndale,  the 
seat  of  the  Lasell  Seminary.  The  appointment  was  a 
fitting  one.  His  ministrations  were  adapted  to  both 
the  citizens  and  to  those  connected  with  the  seminary, 
so  that  the  size  of  his  congregations  was  permanently 
increased.  During  President  Bragdon's  absence  in 
Europe,  the  classes  in  Political  Science  were  heard  by 
Mr.  Newhall,  and  his  services  were  highly  acceptable  to 
the  students  and  the  management. 

Thus  far  he  had  continued  in  training,  as  it  were,  for 
the  higher  position  to  which  he  has  now  been  elevated. 
But,  on  leaving  Auburndale,  he  went  to  State  Street, 
Springfield,  where  he  engaged  more  fully  in  the  general 
work  of  the  ministry,  and  where  his  services  proved 
very  acceptable  to  the  people  of  his  charge.  Popular 
with  the  young,  his  services  were  no  less  acceptable 


THE  WESLEY  AN  ACADEMY.  479 

with  the  older  members  of  the  church  and  congregation. 
In  dealing  with  men  and  handling  affairs,  he  exhibited 
good  sense,  a  quality  indispensable  in  managing  schools 
as  well  as  churches. 

While  in  Springfield,  he  was  elected  to  a  professor- 
ship in  the  theological  department  of  the  University  of 
Denver,  as  also  to  other  positions  in  that  and  other 
schools,  a  position  he  was  strongly  inclined  to  accept; 
but,  on  more  mature  consideration,  he  declined,  prefer- 
ring to  remain  in  his  charge  at  Springfield.  The  elec- 
tion to  the  headship  in  Wilbraham  caused  him  to 
reconsider  his  purpose  to  continue  in  the  pastorate,  and 
the  field  of  usefulness  in  a  large  school,  as  well  as  the 
advice  of  friends,  turned  the  scale  in  favor  of  accept- 
ance. His  reluctance  was  based  on  his  knowledge  of 
the  labor  and  care  involved  in  the  supervision  of  a  large 
literary  institution.  Possibly  he  bore  in  mind  the 
oracular  utterance  of  Principal  Fellows,  who  said  to 
the  student  on  administering  some  slight  reproof: 
"When  you  come  to  stand  in  my  place,  as  you  may 
some  day,  you  will  understand  how  difficult  it  is  to 
administer  this  school."  He  determined  to  try  his 
hand.  And,  though  the  capacity  for  management 
must  be,  to  a  great  extent,  developed  in  the  work,  he 
mounts  the  platform  and  assumes  control  as  one  "  to 
the  manner  born,"  giving  assurance  to  his  friends  and 
the  public  of  a  peaceful  and  prosperous  reign. 

For  the  attainment  of  this  desirable  result,  there  are 
many  favoring  conditions.  Entire  harmony  prevails 
in  the  management  and  among  the  teachers  and 
pupils.  Seldom  have  the  skies  been  more  serene  and 
cloudless,  giving  promise  of  a  fair  and  prosperous  day 


480  HISTORY  OF 

at  this  old  and  honored  institution.  The  debt,  which 
so  long  hung  as  a  dark  and  ominous  mass  over  it,  was 
happily  cleared  during  the  preceding  administration 
and  the  beginning  of  an  endowment  was  secured.  All 
this  is  a  vast  improvement  on  the  financial  condition  in 
late  years,  and  the  trustees  and  teachers  rise  up  with  a 
sense  of  relief  from  a  great  burden,  which  had  been 
long  borne.  These  better  conditions  inspire  courage 
and  give  elasticity  to  the  movements  of  all  connected 
with  the  institution. 

But  we  venture  to  repeat,  there  is  still  an  imperative 
demand  for  a  larger  endowment  of  the  institution.  The 
competition  with  well  endowed  academies  is  sharper  than 
ever,  since  the  facilities  of  travel  have  so  greatly  in- 
creased. With  good  railroads,  the  distance  of  a  hundred 
miles  is  a  small  consideration.  The  amply  endowed 
institutions,  too,  are  able  to  pay  high  salaries  to  their 
teachers,  and  without  Wilbraham  is  able  to  measure  up 
toward  them  she  is  liable  to  lose  her  best  instructors,  on 
whose  services  the  reputation  of  the  school  so  greatly  de- 
pends. In  the  past,  the  trustees  have  been  wonderfully 
fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of  many  admirable 
teachers  at  moderate  rates  ;  but  they  cannot  be  sure  of 
holding  those  in  the  future  who  shall  prove  themselves 
highly  competent  in  this  department  with  the  former 
amount  of  compensation.  There  is  advance  all  along 
the  line,  and  the  Wesleyan  Academy  must  keep  step 
with  the  best.  To  do  so,  money  has  become  more 
indispensable  than  formerly,  and  larger  amounts  of  it 
are  demanded  to  make  a  school  a  great  success.  In 
other  years  there  was  no  danger  of  our  teachers  being 
drawn  off  to  the  schools  of  other  sects ;  they  did  not 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  481 

want  them;  but  now  they  have  become  wiser  and  do 
not  hesitate  to  capture  any  specially  bright  and  compe- 
tent teacher  by  the  bait  of  a  larger  salary.  The  Wes- 
leyan  Academy  must  be  able  to  stand  on  an  equal  foot- 
ing; and,  to  do  so,  she  needs  an  endowment  of  $500,000. 
Is  it  too  much  to  hope  that,  from  the  many  friends  of 
the  Academy  and  the  persons  who  have  been  educated 
within  its  walls,  there  will  be  realized,  in  the  next  few 
years,  this  full  amount  of  endowment?  With  an 
endowment  of  half  a  million,  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
would  be  able  to  advance  to  the  forefront  of  prepara- 
tory institutions  in  New  England,  affording  her  teach- 
ers ample  remuneration  and  furnishing  facilities  for  the 
best  instruction  in  all  the  departments. 

It  is  a  favorable  omen  for  the  new  administration 
that  a  bequest  of  $15,000,  for  the  permanent  endow- 
ment of  the  Seminary,  is  announced  in  its  opening 
days.  The  bequest  comes  from  outside  the  denomina- 
tion, and  from  a  man  who  never  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  instruction  at  Wilbraham.  He  was  prompted  to  the 
act  by  his  general  interest  in  education  and  by  the 
conviction  that  the  Wesleyan  Academy  was  doing  a 
valuable  work  for  the  children  of  the  people.  He 
knew  not  where  the  amount  would  secure  better  or 
larger  results.  The  bequest  ought  to  inspire  others  to 
similar  deeds,  especially  those  who  have  been  educated 
in  the  institution.  It  is  a  curious  circumstance  that 
the  large  bequests  and  donations  to  the  school  have 
been  made  by  those  who  were  never  pupils  there.  Let 
those  who  are  favored  with  wealth  not  forget,  in  the 
final  disposition  of  it,  their  alma  mater.  As  its  instruc- 
tions have  proved  a  blessing  to  themselves,  let  them  be 


482  HISTORY  OF 

sure   to   afford  the  means   to  make  the   institution  a 
larger  blessing  to  the  rising  generation. 

There  can  be  no  more  fitting  close  to  this  narrative 
than  a  brief  account  of  the  noble  benefactor  whose  lib- 
eral bequest  to  the  Academy  has  just  been  made  public. 
We  are  glad  to  be  able,  with  the  biographical  outline, 
to  furnish  a  good  likeness  of  Mr.  Prouty. 

DAVID   PKOUTY. 

David  Prouty,  a  devoted  and  peaceful  citizen  and 
public  benefactor,  was  born  in  Spencer,  Mass.,  October 
18,  1813,  and  died  there  September  13,  1892.  He  was 
the  fourth  in  descent  from  Richard  Prouty,  who  settled 
in  Scituate  in  1667.  Each  of  the  intervening  ancestors 
bore  the  name  of  David.  The  third  David,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  a  conspicuous  man  in  the  commu- 
nity, and  had  the  honor  of  representing  his  town  in  the 
General  Court. 

Like  many  of  our  noblest  New  England  men,  David 
Prouty  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  early  acquired 
muscle  and  strength  of  constitution  by  handling  the 
plow,  the  ax  and  the  scythe.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  he  abandoned  the  farm,  and  entered  the  employ 
of  Mrs.  Hannah  Hatch,  widow  of  the  late  Eli  Hatch, 
manufacturer  of  wire.  During  four  years  he  devoted 
himself  assiduously  to  the  new  business,  acquiring 
thereby  a  full  knowledge  of  its  principles  and  their 
application,  so  that  in  1840  he  purchased  the  business 
with  the  plant.  For  six  years  he  followed  the  wire 
manufacture  with  diligence  and  success,  making  a 
small  beginning  to  his  fortune.  At  the  close  of  this 


THE   WESLKT^f  ACADEMY.  483 

term  he  sold  to  Liberty  Prouty,  in  order  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  farm,  inherited  from  his  father,  who  died 
in  1845.  Though  he  went  back  to  the  farm  with  his 
old  love  of  the  soil  and  of  rural  employments,  he  had 
come  to  realize  that  the  new  industries,  then  springing 
up  in  the  town,  afforded  better  opportunities  to  a  cap- 
able man  than  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Accordingly, 
in  1850,  he  sold  his  farm,  and  removed  to  the  center  of 
the  town  early  in  1851.  The  next  year  he  entered 
the  firm  of  Charles  E.  Denny  &  Co.,  engaged  in  the 
boot  manufacture  ;  but  in  1853  the  firm  was  dissolved 
by  the  ill  health  of  Mr.  Denny.  He  then  engaged  in 
the  business  with  John  G.  Prouty,  who  died  in  1854. 
He  then  took  John  Boyden  as  a  partner,  and  operated 
under  the  firm  name  of  "Prouty  &  Boyden"  until 
1857,  when  E.  Jones  &  Co.  took  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Boyden  in  the  concern,  and  the  firm  became  "David 
Prouty  &  Co."  In  1859  Isaac  L.  Prouty  bought  the 
interest  of  Jones  &  Co.,  but  the  style  of  the  firm  re- 
mained the  same,  with  the  admission,  in  1862,  of  T.  C. 
Prouty  as  a  partner.  In  1876  David  Prouty  retired 
from  active  business. 

Industrious,  careful,  with  sound  judgment  and  good 
habits,  David  Prouty  was  an  excellent  business  man- 
ager, who  succeeded,  in  the  thirty-six  years  of  his 
active  business  life,  in  accumulating  a  very  handsome 
property.  Honorable  in  all  his  dealings  and  judicious 
in  his  methods,  his  practice  gave  strength  and  steadi- 
ness to  the  business  of  the  town.  His  word  was  equal 
to  his  bond,  and  either  was  as  good  as  the  gold.  In  a 
word,  he  belonged  to  the  best  type  of  New  England's 
business  men.  From  their  organization  he  held  high 


484  HISTORY  OF 

position  in  the  National  and  Savings  Banks  of  the  town 
being  at  the  time  of  his  death  a  director  and  vice- 
president  of  the  former  and  a  trustee  and  vice-president 
of  the  latter. 

Spencer  has  been  fortunate  in  her  benefactors.  In 
the  same  year,  1889,  that  Richard  Sugden  gave  the 
town  a  noble  library  building,  David  Prouty  donated 
a  high  school  building  costing  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
The  superb  contribution  brought  him  prominently  be- 
fore the  public,  a  conspicuity  so  modest  a  man  by  no 
means  sought ;  but  the  fact  emphasized  his  benevolent 
disposition,  which  received  further  illustration  in  his 
bequests  of  four  thousand  dollars  to  each  of  the  Prot- 
estant churches  in  town,  and  fifteen  thousand  dollars  to 
the  Wesleyan  Academy. 

At  his  death  the  whole  community  became  mourners. 
The  business  men  especially  took  note  of  the  fact  by  ap- 
propriate resolutions,  and  by  attendance  in  force  at  the 
funeral.  The  members  of  the  high  school,  who  enjoyed 
the  advantage  of  his  liberality,  voted  to  wear  a  badge 
of  mourning  for  thirty  days.  Though  not  a  member  of 
any  church,  Mr.  Prouty  was  an  upright  and  exemplary 
man,  who  prized  such  organizations,  and  gave  reverent 
heed  to  religious  truth  and  practice,  cherishing  the 
blessed  hope  of  the  immortal  and  glorious  life.  In  his 
breadth  of  view  and  generous  sympathies,  he  belonged 
to  all  the  churches,  and  felt  a  just  concern  that  they 
might  be  unhindered  in  the  work  to  which  .they  are 
devoted. 

David  Prouty  was  twice  married.  First,  to  Caroline 
daughter  of  Dr.  Jonas  Guilford,  of  Spencer,  January 
14,  1840,  who  died  November  14, 1863,  Second,  to  Mrs. 


THE   WESLEYAN  ACADEMY.  485 

Sarah  B.,  widow  of  Charles  E.  Denny,  and  sister  to 
his  first  wife,  December  16,  1867.  She  died  January  3, 
1873.  By  the  first  marriage  he  had  one  son,  Jonas 
Guilford  Prouty,  born  September  24,  1844,  and  died  in 
1863,  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen  years.  The  grief  at 
this  death,  in  the  same  year  as  that  of  the  mother  and 
wife,  was  poignant  and  oppressive  in  the  extreme.  The 
strong  man  bowed  under  the  weight  of  it.  The  one  in 
whom  he  had  hoped  the  family  name  and  line  might  be 
perpetuated  was  taken  from  him,  and  his  house  was 
left  desolate. 

Jonas  G.  Prouty,  the  son  of  the  benefactor,  was  once 
a  student  at  Wilbraham  ;  and  the  bequest  of  the  father 
was  suggested  by  the  training  and  inspiration  the  son 
had  received  at  that  institution.  This  recognition  of 
service  is  at  once  substantial  and  delicate,  and  will  not 
fail  to  be  appreciated  by  the  friends  of  the  school.  In 
this  way  the  names  of  the  father  and  son  will  be  indis- 
soltibly  associated  with  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  and 
will  remain,  as  upon  a  monument,  more  durable  than 
marble  or  brass. 


APPENDIX. 


487 


APPENDIX 

No.  1. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 


Col.  Amos  Binney, 
Hon.  Abel  Bliss, 
Abraham  A  very,  Esq., 
Rev.  Calvin  Brewer, 
Rev.  Enoch  Mudge, 
Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.D., 
Rev.  Joshua  Citnvell, 
William  Rice,  Esq., 
Rev.  John  Lindsay, 
Rev.  Timothy  Merritt, 
Rev.  Joseph  A.  Merrill, 
Rev.  John  W.  Hardy, 
David  Rice,  Esq., 
John  L.  Smith,  Esq., 
Hon.  Gilbert  Burrows, 
Alpheus  Hanks,  Esq., 
George  M.  Hyde,  Esq., 
Rev.  Heman  Bangs, 
William  L.  Smith,  Esq., 
John  M.  Merrick,  Esq., 
Joel  M.  Lyman, 
Rev.  Bartholomew  Otheman, 


Boston, 
Wilbraham, 
Wilbraham, 
Wilbraham, 


Accesius.  Exitus. 

1824  1830 

1824  1845 

1824  1842 

1824  1875 


New  Eng.  Con.,  1824  1826 

Wilbraham,  1824  1839 

Ware,  1824  1835 

Springfield,  1824  1863 

New  Eng.  Con.,  1824  1841 

Lynn,  1825  1837 

Wilbraham,  1825  1849 

Wilbraham,  1826  1845 

Belchertown,  1830  1854 

Middletown,  1&31  1836 

Middletown,  1831  m34 

Hartford,  1831  1833 

Wilbraham,  1833  1849 

New  York  Con.,  1834  1836 

Middletown,  1835  1836 

Wilbraham,  1&36  1892 

Wilbraham,  1836  1857 

New  Eng.  Con.,  1836  1847 


488 


APPENDIX. 


Rev.  William  Smith, 

Josiah  Hayden, 

Prof.  Augustus  W.  Smith,  LL.D., 

Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D., 

Roderick  S.  Merrick, 

Rev.  Phineas  Crandall, 

Rev.  Charles  Adams,  D.D., 

Robert  R.  Wright, 

Rev.  Amos  Binney, 

James  Luke, 

Samuel  Warner, 

Lee  Rice, 

Rev.  Edward  Otheman,  A.M., 

Horatio  N.  Hovey, 

Nathaniel  R.  Parkhurst,  Esq., 

Rev.  David  P.  Robinson,  A.M., 

William  North,  Esq., 

Hon.  Lee  Claflin, 

Hon.  Jacob  Sleeper, 

Rev.  Loranus  Crowell,  D.D., 

Rev.  Charles  K.  True,  D.D., 

Rufus  Chandler, 

Harvey  Banks,  Esq., 

David  Smith, 

Pliny  Nickerson, 

H.  Bridgman  Brewer, 

Rev.  John  W.  Merrill,  D.D., 

Isaac  Rich,  Esq., 

Thomas  Page  Richardson, 

Harrison  Newhall, 

John  Wesley  Bliss, 

Truman  Kimpton, 

Rev.  William  Rice,  D.D., 

Hon.  Amos  B.  Merrill, 

Horace  M.  Sessions, 

George  C.  Rand, 

Philip  P.  Tapley, 

Rev.  Joseph  Cummings,  D.D., 

Rev.  E.  O.  Haven,  D.D., 

Porter  Cross, 

Francis  J.  Warner, 


New  Eng.  Con., 

1839 

1843 

Williamsburg, 

1839 

1843 

Middletown,  Ct., 

1840 

1860 

Wilbraham, 

1842 

1873 

Wilbraham, 

1842 

1853 

New  Eng.  Con., 

1843 

1868 

Wilbraham, 

1843 

1853 

Wilbraham, 

1845 

New  Haven, 

1845 

1878 

Wilbraham, 

1847 

1862 

Wilbraham, 

1848 

1858 

Wilbraham, 

1848 

1857 

Chelsea, 

1848 

1881 

Cambridge, 

1848 

1851 

1848 

'1850 

Blandford, 

1849 

1865 

Lowell, 

1849 

1859 

Hopkintou, 

1850 

1871 

Boston, 

1850 

1889 

Lynn, 

1851 

1889 

Middletown, 

1851 

1879 

Springfield, 

1851 

1852 

Springfield, 

1851 

1&59 

Springfield, 

1852 

1875 

Boston, 

1852 

1877 

Wilbraham,. 

1853 

1875 

Concord,  N.H., 

1853 

1859 

Boston, 

1854 

1872 

Lynn, 

1854 

1882 

Lynn, 

1854 

Wilbraham, 

1857 

1878 

Wilbraham, 

1857 

I860 

Springfield, 

1858 

Boston, 

1859 

1871 

S.  Wilbraham, 

1859 

1883 

Newton, 

1860 

1878 

Lynn, 

1860 

1874 

Middletown,  Ct., 

1860 

1866 

Boston, 

1861 

1865 

Wilbraham, 

1863 

1871 

Wilbraham, 

1863 

1865 

APPENDIX. 


489 


Horace  Smith, 

Lewis  H.  Taylor, 

Edward  F.  Porter, 

Rev.  Edward  Cooke,  D.D., 

Rev.  Fales  H.  Newhall,  D.D., 

Henry  J.  Bush, 

L.  W.  Pond, 

Wilbur  F.  Claflin, 

H.  H.  Burbauk, 

Hon.  George  M.  Buttrick, 

Rev.  John  W.  Beach,  D.D., 

J.  W.  Phelps. 

Rev.  David  K.  Merrill, 

Rev.  Nathaniel  Fellows, 

Edwin  H.  Johnson, 

Emerson  Warner,  M.D., 

William  H.  Smith, 

Rev.  Joseph  Cummings,  D.D., 

Rev.  Daniel Steele,  D.D., 

Rev.  Samuel  F.  Upham,  D.D., 

George  L.  Wright,  Esq., 

Rev.  Asahel  C.  Eggleston,  A.M., 

S.  J.  Goodenough, 

L.  C.  Smith, 

Charles  P.  Armstrong, 

Rev.  George  M.  Steele,  D.D., 

James  P.  Magee, 

Bishop  W.  F.  Mallalieu,  D.D., 

Rev.  David  H.  Ela,  D.D., 

B.  D.  Rising, 

A.  C.  Houghton, 

Hon.  Jarvis  Rockwell, 

Hon.  Chester  C.  Corbin, 

L.  M.  Hubbard, 

Hon.  Oliver  Hoyt, 

Rev.  John  W.  Beach,  D.D., 

Rev.  James  M.  Buckley,  D.D., 

Hon.  John  R.  Buck, 

John  H.  Sessions, 

Charles  Winchester, 

Oliver  H.  Durrell, 


Springfield,  1863 

Springfield,  1863 

Boston,  1865 

Wilbraham,  1865 

Saugus,  1866 

Westfield,  1866 

Worcester,  1868 

Hopkinton,  1871 

Wilbraham,  1871 

Barre,  1872 

New  York  Con.,  1872 

Springfield,  1872 

N.  Cambridge,  1873 

Wilbraham,  1874 

Lynn,  1875 

Worcester,  1875 

Springfield,  1875 

Middletown,  Ct.,  1876 

Boston,  1876 

Madison,  N.J.,  1877 

Springfield,  1877 
Birmingham,  Ct.,1877 

Wilbraham,  1878 

Springfield,  1878 

New  Haven,  1878 

Wilbraham,  1879 

Boston,  1879 
New  Orleans,  La.  1879 

Boston,  1880 

Springfield,  1880 

North  Adams,  1881 

North  Adams,  1881 

Webster,  1881 
Wallingford,  Ct.,1881 

Stamford,  Ct.,  1882 

Middletown,  Ct.,  1882 

New  York,  1883 

Hartford,  Ct,  1883 

Bristol,  Ct.,  1883 

Ashburnham,  1885 

Cambridgeport,  1885 


1880 
1885 
1883 
1877 
1879 
1883 
1877 
1880 
1872 
1878 
1878 
1S77 


1876 
1882 


1891 
1882 
1880 

1881 


1885 


1887 
1889 


1891 
1890 


490  APPENDIX. 

George  R.  Dickinson,  Springfield,           1886  1888 

Hon.  George  H.  Cowell,  Waterbury,  Ct.,   1888 

Hon.  Loranus  E.  Hitchcock,  Cbicopee,              1888 

Dr.  Algernon  S.  Flagg,  Wilbraham,           1889 

Warner  F.  Sturtevant,  Springfield,           1889 

Robert  A.  Davison,  Rockville  C't,L.I.1890 

Henry  O.  Marcy,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Boston,                  1890 

PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 

Col.  Amos  Binney,  1824  1830 

Rev.  John  W.  Hardy,  1830  1836 

Hon.  Abel  Bliss,  1836  1845 

George  M.  Hyde,  Esq.,  1845  1848 

William  Rice,  Esq.,  1848  1852 

Rev.  Phineas  Crandall,  1852  1854 

Rev.  Amos  Binney,  1854  1856 

Rev.  Edward  Otheman,  A.M.,  .  1856  1861 

Hon.  Amos  B.  Merrill,  18P1  1863 

Rev.  Erastus  O.  Haven,  D.D.,  1863  1864 

Rev.  Edward  Otheman,  A.M.,  1864  1865 

Horace  Smith,  1865  1866 

Rev.  Edward  Otheman,  A.M.,  1866  1867 

Hon.  Amos  B.  Merrill,  1867  1868 

Hon.  Edward  F.  Porter,  1868  1869 

Rev.  Edward  Otheman,  A.M.,  1869  1871 

Hon.  Edward  F.  Porter,  1871  1881 

Hon.  Thomas  P.  Richardson,  1881  1882 

Rev.  William  Rice,  D.D.,  1882 

SECRETARIES  OF  THE  BOARD. 

Hon.  Abel  Bliss,  1824  1836 

Hon.  John  M.  Merrick,  1836  1842 

Rev.  William  Smith,  1842  1843 

Rev.  Charles  Adams,  D.D.,  1843  1845 

Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  1845  1848 

Rev.  Edward  Otheman,  A.M.,  1848  1851 

Robert  R.  Wright,  1&51  1853 

Hon.  John  M.  Merrick,  1853  1858 

Harrison  Newhall,  Esq.,  1858  1860 

Rev.  William  Rice,  D.D.,  1860  1882 

Harrison  Newhall,  1882 


APPENDIX.  491 

TREASURERS  OF  THE  CORPORATION. 

Abraham  Avery,  Esq.,  1824  1828 

Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.D.,  1828  1832 

Rev.  Joseph  A.  Merrill,  1832  1842 

Hon.  John  M.  Merrick,  1842  1861 

James  Luke,  Esq.,  1861  1862 

Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  1862  1864 

Hon.  John  M.  Merrick,  1864  1865 

Rev.  Edward  Cooke,  D.D.,  1865  1874 

Rev.  Nathaniel  Fellows,  A.M.,  1874  1879 

Rev.  George  M.  Steele,  D.D.,  1879  1892 

Rev.  William  Rice,  Newhall,  1892 


492  APPENDIX, 


APPENDIX 

No.  2. 
BOARD  OF  INSTRUCTION. 


PRINCIPALS. 

Accessus.  Exitus. 

Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.D.,  1825  1831 

Eev.  W.  McK.  Bangs,  A.M.,  1831  1832 

Eev.  John  Foster,  A.M  ,  1832  1834 

Rev.  David  Patten,  D.D.,  1834  1841 

Rev.  Charles  Adams,  D.D.,  1841  1845 

Rev.  Robert  Allyn,  D.D.,  1845  1848 

Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  1848  1864 

Rev.  Edward  Cooke,  D.D.,  1864  1874 

Rev.  Nathaniel  Fellows,  A.M.,  1874  1879 

Rev.  George  M.  Steele,  D.D.,  1879  1892 

PRECEPTRESSES. 

Charlotte  L.  Tillinghast,  1826  1827 

Susan  Brewer,  1827  1829 

Lucy  Winsor,  1830  1831 

Maria  Steele,  1832  1833 

Catherine  Hyde,  1833  1835 

Nancy  Holland,  1835  1836 

N.  Miranda  Nash,  1836  1837 

Allen,  1837  1838 

Hannah  M.  Thompson,  ia38  1841 


APPENDIX.  493 

Clarissa  F.  Abbott,  1841  1842 

Emeline  B.  Jenkins,  1843  1845 

Isabella  Hill,  1845  1848 

Louisa  E.  Landon,  1848  1849 

Sarah  North,  1849  1852 

Caroline  J.  Lane,  1852  1854 

Isabella  H.  Binney,  1854  1857 

Ruby  Warfield,  1857  1864 

Mrs.  E.  T.  H.  Putnam,  1865  1866 

Mary  S.  True,  1866  186S 

Mrs.  A.  C.  Knight,  1868  1879 

Catherine  J.  Chamberlayne,  1879  1886 

M.  Annie  Wythe,  1886 

TEACHERS. 

Nathaniel  Dunn,  A.M.,  1825  1829 

William  Magoun,  A.M.,  1827  1832 

David  Gould,  A.B.,  1828  1829 

Rev.  John  Foster,  A.M  ,  1829  1832 

William  G.  Mitchell,  1830  1839 

Rev.  Edward  Otheman,  A.M.,  1831  1833 
Sabura  Stocking, 

Samuel  P.  Dole,  1832  1833 

Prof.  Daniel  H.  Chase,  1833  1834 

Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  1833  1841 

Rev.  Benjamin  I.  Diefendorf,  A.M.,  1834  1835 

Rev.  John  Roper,  A.M.,  1834  1842 

Harvey  B.  Lane,  A.M.,  1836  183S 

Isaac  T.  Goodnow,  A.M.,  1836  1847 

Rev.  Henry  De  Koven,  1*37  1838 

William  H.  Bussell,  A.M.,  1838  1855 

Rev.  Robert  Allyn,  1841  1843 

Charles  F.  Stockwell,  A.M.,  1841  1842 

Rev.  John  H.  Twombly,  1843  1846 

Oliver  Marcy,  A.M.,  1846  1882 

Rev.  Samuel  F.  Beach,  1846  1847 

Orange  Judd,  A.M.,  1847  1848 

Rev.  Fales  H.  Newhall,  1848  1853 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  E.  Marcy,  1848  1849 

Rev.  George  M.  Steele,  1850  1853 

Rev.  Oliver  S.  Howe,  A.M.,  1853  1857 


494  APPENDIX. 

Simeon  F.  Chester,  A.M.,  1853  1865 

Kev.  Henry  W.  Warren,  1853  1855 

Rev.  Edward  B.  Otheman,  A.M.,  1855  1856 

Emerson  Warner,  1855  1863 

Rev.  Albert  D.  Vail,  1857  1858 

Rev.  Nathaniel  Fellows,  A.M.,  1858  1860 

Rev.  Charles  N.  Stowers,  A.M.,  1860  1862 

Edwin  B.  Harvey,  A.M.,  1862  1864 

Truman  H.  Kimpton,  A.M.,  1862  1866 

Philip  B.  Shumway,  A.M.,  1862  1864 

Rev.  Lorenzo  White,  A.M.,  1864  1868 

Rev.  Thomas  B.  Wood,  A.M.,  1864  1867 

David  Ward  Northrop,  A.M.,  1865  1866 

Helen  A.  Handy,  1865  1866 

Laura  M.  Bryant,  1865  1866 

Warren  L.  Hoagland,  A.M.,  1866  1868 

Cynthia  P.  Hazen,  1866  1867 

Laura  E.  Prentice,  1866  1867 

Asa  Boothbay,  A.M.,  1867  1874 

A.  C.  Knight,  1867  1868 

Laura  M.  Bryant,  1867  1871 

Herbert  F.  Fisk,  A.M.,  1867  1868 

David  B.  Furber,  A.M.,  1867  1868 

D.M.  Brumagim,  A.M.,  1868  1871 

A.  S.  Howe,  A.M.,  1868  1869 

Joseph  G.  Robbins,  A.M.,  1868  1869 

A.  Fitz  Roy  Chase,  A.M.,  1869  1871 

Hannah  D.  Morrill,  1863  1879 

Henry  E.  Crocker,  A.M.,  1869  1871 

Rachel  Keyes,  1869  1871 

Charles  M.  Parker,  A.M.,  1870  1885 

W.  H.  H.  Phillips,  1871  1883 

Donnell  G.  Brooks,  1871  1872 

James  Middleton,  1871  1872 

Crandall  J.  North,  1872  1873 

Martha  M.  Wiswell,  1872  1873 

Benjamin  Gill,  1872  1892 

Alexander  J.  Duncan,  1873  1874 

Mary  Hall,  1873  1875 

Emily  Upton,  1873  1874 

John  H.  Pillsbury,  1874  1875 


APPENDIX.  495 

Daniel  J.  Clark,  1874  1875 

Joseph  C.  Burke,  1875  1879 

Emma  A.  Daggett,  1875  1877 

Eloise  A.  Sears,  1875  1879 

Mary  E.  Wetherwax,  1879  1889 

Henry  L.  Taylor,  1879  1880 

Charles  H.  Raymond,  1879  1887 

Emery  Gill,  1880  1883 

Nellie  K.  Chamberlayne,  1882  1883 

Charles  D.  Woods,  1883  1888 

William  J.  Lloyd,  1883  1885 

Herbert  G.  Buckingham,  1883  1885 

Karl  B.  Harrington,  1885  1887 

Irving  M.  Norcross,  1885  1886 

Winfield  S.  Rich,  1885  1887 

Mary  A.  Rand,  1886  1889 

BurleighS.  Annis,  1886  1890 

TEACHEKS   OF   ELOCUTION. 

Joseph  Carhart,  1872  1876 

L.  A.  Butterfield,  1876  1877 

Charles  H.  Raymond,  1877  1889 

Anna  Mary  Burrows,  1889 

Joseph  C.  Rockwell,  1886  1891 

Roland  W.  Guss,  1888 

Sarah  Loom  is,  1889 

John  F.  Mohler,  1890 

Francis  M.  Austin,  1891 

R.  Watson  Cooper,  1891 

COMMERCIAL.   DEPARTMENT. 

Watson  F.  Lamb,  1872  1881 

A.  A.  Randall,  1881  1886 

John  E.  Ricketts,  1886  1887 

Alonzo  W.  Lowe,  1887  1889 

Roland  W.  Peck,  1889  1891 

George  B.  Kingsbury,  1891 

INSTRUCTORS  IN  MUSIC. 

Hannah  Potter,  1835  1836 

Ann  Eliza  Sperry,  1S36  1S38 

Ednah  C.  Shaw,  1838  1838 


496 


APPENDIX. 


Almira  Davis, 
Lydia  J.  Belcher, 
Jennette  Ashley, 
Nancy  H.  Goldsbury, 
Charles  W.  Warren, 
Eliza  Gilbert  Brewer, 
Cordelia  M.  Kettelle, 
Sarah  M.  Kettelle, 
Mahala  E.  Chester, 
Isabella  H.  Andrews, 
Miranda  Chapin, 
Ellen  A.  Doe, 
Simeon  Fuller, 
Mary  I.  Eaymond, 
Ellen  Dow, 
Eva  L.  Wells, 
Hattie  Whipple, 
Annie  E.  Miller, 
Doi-etta  J.  Doering, 
Eben  Tourje, 
Emily  F.  True, 
Joseph  Hastings,  Jr. 
Mary  E.  Lucas, 
Lucie  A.  Morey, 
Henrietta  N.  Day, 
Arthur  W.  Kibbee, 
Edward  E.  Kelsey, 
Ella  B.  Stebbens, 
Georgiana  Dewey, 
Lillie  Lane, 
Carrie  W.  Stevens, 
Hattie  E.  Stacey, 
Eva  F.  Pike, 
Adelaide  N.  Colburn, 

Ebenezer  Thompson, 
Solomon  Weeks, 
Rev.  Edward  Hyde, 
Miles  Belden,  M.D., 
Davis  Smith, 
Rev.  John  W.  Hardy, 


STEWARDS. 


1838 
1839 
1840 
1841 
1842 
1845 
1849 
1850 
1854 
1855 
1857 
1858 
1861 
1863 
1864 
1864 
1865 
1866 
1866 
1867 
1867 
1868 
1868 
1868 
1869 
1873 
1874 
1879 
1882 
1873 
1881 
1883 
1890 
1890 

1826 
1828 
1832 
1833 
1834 
1835 


1839 
1840 
1841 
1842 
1844 
1849 
1854 
1855 
1857 
1857 
1858 
1860 
1863 
1864 
1867 
1865 
1866 
1867 
1867 
1868 
1868 
1874 
1870 
1870 
1870 
1874 
1879 

1883 


1890 


1828 
1832 
1833 
1834 
1835 
1838 


APPENDIX.  497 

William  Healy,  Jr.,  1838  1842 

Reuben  Palmer,  1842  1843 

James  Howe,  1843  1847 

Alexander  P.  Lane,  1847  1850 

John  M.  Merriek,  1850  1852 

Samuel  Warner,  1852  1855 

John  M.  Merriek,  1855  1861 

Robert  O.  Sessions,  1861  1865 

E.  E.  Warfield,  1865  1866 

Orrin  E.  Darling,  1866  1869 

Orrin  Daggett,  1871  1887 

George  A.  Russell,  1887 


498  APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX 

No.  3. 

THE  NUMBER   OF   STUDENTS. 

UNDER  the  different  years,  in  this  history,  we  have 
given  the  number  of  students  in  attendance  at 
the  Wesleyan  Academy  by  aggregate  of  terms.  In  the 
following  table,  will  be  found  the  average  for  each  year. 
The  results  attained  by  these  two  methods,  as  the 
reader  will  see,  are  quite  different.  For  instance,  in 
the  catalogue  for  1891  the  numbers  given  are,  for  the 
winter  term,  240 ;  for  the  spring  term,  209;  and  for  the 
fall  term,  217.  By  adding  these  numbers  we  obtain  an 
aggregate  of  666  for  the  year.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  take  the  average  attendance  for  the  three  terms,  we 
secure,  as  a  result,  222.  The  average,  as  communicat- 
ing1 the  most  accurate  information,  is  the  more  valuable 

O 

result,  and  as  such  is  tabulated. 

In  the  catalogues  prior  to  1838,  we  find  no  complete 
and  accurate  data  for  tabulation.  There  were,  in  some 
cases,  two  catalogues  a  year,  and  in  others  perhaps 
none  at  all.  At  least,  we  have  not  full  catalogues,  and 


APPENDIX. 


499 


can  give  only  a  fragmentary  statement  of  numbers,  not 
of  great  value.  After  1838  the  record  is  complete, 
save  that  in  1856-7,  the  two  years  were  catalogued  to- 
gether, so  that  we  are  unable  to  know  what  numbers  to 
assign  to  each  year.  Accordingly  those  are  left  blank. 


COMPLETE    DATA. 


DM* 

No. 

1837-8 

1838-9 

184* 

1839-40 

272* 

1840-1 

267* 

1841-2 

182* 

1842-3 

161* 

1843-4 

170* 

1844-5 

173* 

1845-6 

193 

1846-7 

193 

1847-8 

223 

1848-9 

195 

1849-50 

178 

1850-1 

175 

1851-2 

227 

1852-3 

282 

1853-4 

300 

1854-5 

314 

1855-43 

1856-7 

1857-8 

198 

1858-9 

202 

1859-60 

157 

1860-61 

173 

1861-2 

191 

1862-3 

231 

1863-4 

260* 

1864-5 

280* 

Date. 

No. 

1865-6 

328 

1866-7 

339 

1867-8 

321 

1868-9 

286 

1869-70 

303 

1870-1 

281 

1871-2 

253 

1872-3 

309 

1873-4 

323 

1874-5 

278 

1875-6 

223 

1876-7 

194 

1877-8 

162 

1878-9 

144 

1879-80 

149 

1880-1 

163 

1881-2 

194 

1882-3 

221 

1883-4 

238 

1884-5 

229 

1885-6 

233 

1886-7 

245 

1887-8 

243 

1888-9- 

230 

1889-90 

235 

1890-1 

232 

1891-2 

500  APPENDIX. 


INCOMPLETE   DATA. 


Date.                                             Part  of  the  Year.  No. 

1825               Fall  Term,  91 

1828                Spring  Term,  129 

1830  Fall  Term,  163 
Spring  Term,  155 

1831  Spring  and  Summer  Terms,  190 

1832  Spring  Term,  222 
Fall  and  Winter  Terms,  241 

1833  Spring,  Summer  and  Fall  Terms,    313 

1834  Summer  and  Fall  Terms,  342 

1835  Summer  and  Fall  Terms,  348 
Winter  and  Spring  Terms,  215 

1836  Summer  and  Fall  Terms,  400 
Winter  and  Spring  Terms,  266 

1837  Winter  and  Spring  Terms,  304 
Summer  and  Fall  Terms,  430 

1838  Winter  and  Spring  Terms,  314 
Summer  and  Fall  Terms.  379 


L-D 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

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